One of the recurring stories on the business beat this year has been union organizing drives at coffee shops in Chicago and around the country.
Starbucks has gotten most of the attention. It’s the biggest corporate target, after all. But locally, there also has been labor activism at the Colectivo and Intelligentsia chains where employees have affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The IBEW this month scored a relatively quick contract agreement covering Intelligentsia’s five locations in Chicago, delivering a deal with higher wages, paid meal breaks, more holiday pay and other benefits.
