CHICAGO LABOR NEWS
Trader Joe’s at Lincoln & Grace Ties in Union Election
A North Center Trader Joe’s is the latest store in the grocery chain to file for a union election with the National Labor Review Board (NLRB). The store at 3745 N. Lincoln Ave. recently voted to unionize and tied with 70-70 votes. The NLRB has stepped in to review the election, which took place in late April of this year. Trader Joe’s United is an independent grassroots-funded union fighting for crew members of Trader Joe’s stores across the country. Non-employees can join @traderjoesunited on Instagram and Facebook for updates on boycotts, letter writing, and more.
GAGE PARK STARBUCKS VOTES UNANIMOUSLY TO UNIONIZE
Another independent union, Starbucks Workers United, celebrated a Chicago win last month when the store at 5807 S. Western Ave. voted unanimously to unionize. Many Chicago Starbucks, including Gage Park, filed election requests with the NLRB in the last year, but not all successfully. The Chicago Reserve Roastery at 646 N. Michigan Ave. voted against unionizing. According to Starbucks Workers United, the Chicago Starbucks locations that successfully voted to unionize are 5807 S. Western Ave., 1174 E 55th St., 116 S. Halsted, 2101 W. Armitage Ave., 1070 W Bryn Mawr Ave., 6075 N. Lincoln Ave., 6350 N. Broadway Ave., and 5964 N. Ridge Ave.
CTU/CPS GO PUBLIC IN LIVE-STREAMED COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
The Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools hosted its first ever public collective bargaining session on Friday June 21st. The session, live-streamed and recorded on YouTube, attracted 1,800 viewers during the live broadcast and focused on CTU’s Healthy, Safe, Greener Schools proposal. The push towards public bargaining is considered a significant stride in accessibility and transparency. From the CTU website: “With this first-ever public bargaining session, we were able to bring CTU’s common good contract negotiations out of the traditional closed rooms and onto the front yard of Chicago.” Bargaining will continue into the following few weeks.
Labor beyond Chicago
ILlinois AMAZON WORKERS FIGHT FOR UNPAID WAGES
According to a recent article in the Associated Press, Amazon delivery drivers are filing arbitration claims against Amazon for listing them as independent contractors instead of employees. Through the Amazon Flex program, drivers deliver packages in their own vehicles, but are also saddled with the costs of gas and vehicle maintenance, and are only paid a predetermined number of hours–regardless of how long deliveries actually take. Three states (Illinois, California and Massachusetts) have unique laws about the amount of power companies can have over independent contractors, whose status as such allows the company to avoid unionization. Because of these laws, the drivers are now claiming status as employees of Amazon, and demanding unpaid wages including unpaid overtime and holiday pay.
MINNESOTA CELEBRATES MINIMUM WAGE VICTORY FOR RIDESHARE DRIVERS
Rideshare drivers in Minnesota are celebrating a massive victory in fighting for a minimum wage. Led by MULDA (the Minnesota Uber/Lyft Drivers Association), the state became the first to pass a minimum wage bill for drivers on May 28th, even after companies Uber and Lyft threatened to take their business elsewhere. This win comes after Uber and Lyft changed their pay calculation in 2022 to a secretive algorithm, affecting the wages of drivers. In the Twin Cities, the average wage of a rideshare driver was $13.63, well below the cities’ $15 minimum wage. Starting on December 1st, the new bill will require rideshare companies to pay drivers a minimum of $1.28 per mile and $0.31 per minute while transporting riders in the state.