By Al Brown, The Chicago Times
August 9, 2022
CHICAGO – Five of Intelligentsia Coffee’s cafes in Chicago have voted to join a union, making Intelligentsia the third coffee house to go union. Consumers can expect price hikes as Intelligentsia looks to offset union costs.
According to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (Local 1220), 27 employees at five locations “voted” to join the union. However, the National Labor Relations Board, which supervised the vote, admitted most employees did not cast a ballot. This could be a signal that many employees are wary of union control. The vote was 9-1 in favor of the IBEW slithering into Intelligentsia’s workforce.
The IBEW attempted to force an additional 15 employees at Intelligentsia’s Chicago Roasting Works, 1850 W. Fulton St. to unionize. However, Intelligentsia rightly claimed that the additional workers are managers and should not be unionized. The IBEW then agreed to target only store workers. IBEW spokesman openly said roastery workers are in the cross-hairs in the next attempt to unionize.
The Chicago Times 