Hourly workers at the Starbucks cafe on Logan Boulevard and California Avenue in Logan Square filed for union certification on Friday, becoming the second Starbucks location to do so in Chicago and joining a national labor organizing movement at the country’s largest coffee chain that began last month in Buffalo, New York.
Fourteen of the 24 hourly workers signed a letter to Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson, which they posted on Twitter, calling for better wages and benefits, more sensible scheduling, and improved security, plus a request not to move up the store’s scheduled remodel, which is set for March and would require it to close temporarily. The workers filed for recognition with Workers United, an affiliate of Service Employees International Union, which has been representing the workers in Buffalo.
The movement continues to grow as partners in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood join the effort to gain a democratic say in their workplace – please join us and stop by to show support for these workers! #1u pic.twitter.com/hGzCvdWF3d
— SBWorkersUnited (@SBWorkersUnited) January 8, 2022
“Our goal at the end of the day is to bring things up to a level of where they should be,” says Collie Erdosy, a barista. Erdosy, who has worked for seven years in coffee shops around Chicago, including Colectivo Coffee at the beginning of its own union drive, says they were attracted to Starbucks by its employee benefits, which include health insurance and paid time off. Starbucks benefits, however, are contingent on hours worked, and even though Erdosy says they were hired a year ago at full-time, 40 hours, they usually were never scheduled for more than 25 hours a week, not enough for benefits to kick in. Erdosy says about half the workers at the store have the same issue.
COVID-19 has added an extra complication to scheduling, especially with the omicron surge: some weeks, so few workers are available, the store is understaffed, which means those who are there are overworked.
There is no permanent security at the Logan Square Starbucks, which poses a problem for baristas. “Quite a few violent people who have come in there have gotten pretty nasty with us,” Erdosy says. “We file an incident report [with Starbucks], and from there, hope for the best. Which is not always how it goes. It usually seemingly goes unnoticed or unresolved.”
The Logan Square Starbucks staff’s petition will be reviewed by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which will then set a date for the union election. Starbucks so far hasn’t tried to interfere, workers say, aside from a few letters to employees claiming that a union would come between workers, known as “partners,” and management.
But workers don’t feel their goals are incompatible. “The Starbucks mission is very clear about what they want to do, changing the world one cup, one neighborhood, one person at a time,” says Erdosy. “It’s straightforward. And that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Ace Hotel’s impending closure means the loss of a haven for Black Millennials
Fulton Market hotspot Ace Hotel and its rooftop bar Little Wild are slated to close on January 26 after four years. The Triibe explores the role of the bar and the ripple effect its closure will have among its many Black patrons who experienced the space as a haven amid limited local nightlife options for Black Millennials. Little Wild employees, credited with creating a space that catered to BIPOC patrons, tell reporters that the hotel’s new owner, Onni Group isn’t hiring back the original staff.
Chicago chef Zoe Schor to go knives out next week on Chopped
Chef Zoe Schor, co-owner of fried chicken hit Split-Rail and subterranean cocktail bar Dorothy near the Ukrainian Village and Humboldt Park border, will next week compete to win $10,000 on the Food Network competition show Chopped, she announced over the weekend on Instagram. The episode will air in Chicago at 8 p.m. Tuesday, January 18. This isn’t Schor’s first Food Network appearance: she previously battled it out in 2018 on Beat Bobby Flay and Bite Club, hosted by chef Tyler Florence.
The Circle never forgets
Americans last week marked the one-year anniversary of rioters breaching the U.S. Capitol in an effort to disrupt Joe Biden’s certification as president. The Wieners Circle, Chicago’s notorious late-night hot dog stand, didn’t let the occasion pass without mentioning Tank Noodle, the local Vietnamese restaurant that last year received enormous criticism for its owners’ participation in the rally that preceded the violence in D.C. “This weather has us craving pho, but since those motherfuckers at Tank Noodle went to the insurrection, fuck that place,” the stand tweeted Thursday. “Where else in Chi has good pho?”
This weather has us craving pho, but since those motherfuckers at tank noodle went to the insurrection, fuck that place. Where else in chi has good pho?
— The Wieners Circle (@TheWienerCircle) January 6, 2022
Wiener Circle
2622 North Clark Street, , IL 60614 (773) 477-7444 Visit Website
Starbucks
4365 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60641 (773) 736-5226 Visit Website
Tank Noodle
4953 N Broadway St, Chicago, IL 60640 (773) 878-2253 Visit Website
Ace Hotel
20 West 29th Street, Manhattan, NY 10001 (212) 679-2222 Visit Website
Split-Rail
2500 West Chicago Avenue, , IL 60622 (773) 697-4413 Visit Website