SANTA CRUZ– Sasha Pavy, 23, began working at Verve Coffee Roasters’ Pacific Avenue location to support herself while studying at UC Santa Cruz. Verve Workers United delivered a letter to management stating their intent to unionize Sept. 1, and also published it on Instagram. She chose the coffee shop for its local ties — the first shop was established in 2007 in Santa Cruz. There are 11 cafes across the state in Los Angeles, Santa Cruz and the Bay Area, as well as seven in Japan. The Starbucks and UC Santa Cruz grad student unions showed up at the Verve Workers United launch rally, McCoy said, and the group has felt supported by other workers’ groups in the area, as well as by the Santa Cruz community at large.