Colectivo Coffee workers vote to form a union, negotiate
Contested ballots bring final count to 106-99
Colectivo Coffee workers who want to form a union at the Milwaukee-based chain of cafes have won the election.
While the initial vote ended in a 9999 tie this April, the National Labor Relations Board opened up challenged ballots Monday for another count. All seven of the contested ballots counted Monday were in favor of unionizing. The final vote count was 106 to 99. Once the votes are certified, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 494 will issue bargaining surveys and start developing the group’s first negotiated contract.
“We are very proud of the workers at Colectivo Coffee,” said Local 494 Business Manager Dean A. Warsh in a statement Monday. “They have taken a bold and necessary step toward ensuring that every employee has fair treatment and dignity in their work. Further, they have strengthened the bonds and created new friendships with workers at Colectivo worksites across state lines — developing a shared understanding and commitment to each other’s well-being. They put their hearts and soul into this organizing effort and left nothing on the field!”
Once formed, it is likely that the Colectivo union will be the largest cafe
chain to organize in the country. “We are calling on Colectivo ownership to bargain in good faith with their employees once the election has been certified,” Warsh said in the statement.
The Colectivo management team issued an open letter to customers Monday about the results of the count. Management thought that the votes of people who had left the organization should not be counted. The company has not been in favor of the employee union effort.
“We are disappointed by this result because a majority of our coworkers did not vote in favor of unionization and because the NLRB counted votes of several individuals who announced their resignations prior to the close of the election,” the letter said. “We don’t think those former coworkers should have been allowed to have a voice in unionization at an organization where they did not intend to work. The outcome is the result of a process that took place last spring and our employee census is dynamic.”
By management’s count, fewer than 100 of the company’s current 440 employees voted for the union.
The letter said Colectivo will “respect the rules and bargain in good faith.” The company said the customer experience will not change.
The campaign to form a union at the coffee roastery and cafe started this time last year. The union effort was supported by Milwaukee-area elected officials, including a majority of the 15 members of the Milwaukee Common Council.
Colectivo has around 500 employees at its cafes, production and corporate staff. The majority of those employees who work in the cafes, production, warehouse, roasting and bakery areas will be represented by the union.
Colectivo operates a roasting facility in Riverwest and cafes in Milwaukee, Madison and Chicago areas.
Other workers at Milwaukee-area hospitality businesses have unsuccessfully campaigned to unionize in recent years.
Stone Creek Coffee employees voted against forming a union in 2019. A group of employees at the local chain were unhappy with pay and working conditions. They sought the help of Teamsters Local 344.
Former employees of the nowclosed Comet Café wanted to form a union last year. Some of them believe ownership decided to close the restaurant because of the union effort. The owners said it wasn’t the case.
Sarah Hauer can be reached at shauer@journalsentinel.com or on Instagram @HauerSarah and Twitter @SarahHauer. Subscribe to her weekly newsletter Be MKE at jsonline.com/bemke.