Colectivo Workers Finally Have Union Contract

Colectivo Coffee with walk-up windows in Riverwest. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

An organizing effort that began in summer 2020 has finally culminated in a labor contract for nearly 600 employees of Colectivo Coffee.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 494, which helped organize the Colectivo workers, released a statement Wednesday announcing that Colectivo workers represented by the union voted 95% in favor of ratifying a contract with the coffee company.

“This contract ratification is the culmination of the efforts of hundreds of workers over the past three years,” said Hillary Laskonis, an early organizer in the campaign to unionize. “We could not have made it to this point without their bravery, the tireless work of folks at the IBEW, as well as the vocal support of thousands of customers and members of the community.”

Zacary Heren, a Chicago-based Colectivo worker who worked on the bargaining committee negotiating the contract, said the ratification is “proof that hard work and solidarity in the workplace pays off.”

In August 2020, Colectivo employees and union organizers went public with their attempt to organize baristas, cafe workers, delivery drivers, Troubadour bakery workers and coffee roasters that work for the coffee company. The plan was always to organize the entire company, which has 20 cafes in Milwaukee, Madison and Chicago.

Colectivo owners, Lincoln Fowler, Ward Fowler and Paul Miller responded immediately with a letter to workers strongly opposing unionization. The owners’ resistance to unionization would continue throughout the organizing process, as they hired expensive lawyers that specialize in “union avoidance” and challenged the results of National Labor Review Board elections.

At various points, the workers held what they called “reverse boycotts” that asked customers to go to a Colectivo cafe and order their coffee with the message “IBEW Strong” to show their support for the union.

In March 2022, the NLRB declined a final appeal by the owners of Colectivo to review the union election results and the company released a statement saying they were finally ready to negotiate with the union. The news of ratification means that process has concluded and workers now have a contract.

“We could not be prouder of the workers of the Colectivo Collective,” said Dean Warsh and John Rizzo, business managers for IBEW Local 4949 and 1220 (Chicago) respectively, “who for three years now have been putting in the work to stand up and make sure their voices are heard in the workplace.”

The new, two-year contract includes raises across the board for Colectivo employees, additional paid holidays and new policies for scheduling and breaks, according to Ryan Neibauer, a spokesperson for IBEW 494. The contract also codifies policies for layoffs, provisions holding management to the legal standard of “Just Cause” commonly required for firing and discipline, a grievance and arbitration procedure and the establishment of joint committees involving union leadership and management.

” Colectivo has always been committed to being an employer of choice,” said Scott Isabella, Colectivo president. “This ratified contract is an expression of that commitment. Colectivo looks forward to working with IBEW Locals 494 and 1220 to continue delivering a great employee and customer experience.”