Baristas Cry Foul As La Colombe Fires Half Of Chicago Location Staff After Workers Unionize – CoffeeTalk

Workers at the West Loop La Colombe Coffee Roasters have accused the cafe chain of firing five baristas in retaliation for unionizing. The terminations occurred days before the Thanksgiving holiday, and nearly half of the staff at the cafe were fired. The firings came after four out of five Chicago La Colombe locations ratified their union contracts with United Food and Commercial Workers Local No. 881 on October 22. In interviews with fired workers, they believe La Colombe engaged in union busting and employee intimidation.

Workers say that a week before the firings, a Chicago-area manager and a human resources representative from La Colombe’s Philadelphia headquarters pulled baristas one by one into impromptu meetings in the basement at the West Loop cafe. Workers say La Colombe’s representatives described the meetings as “policy reviews,” but they would turn disciplinary. A La Colombe rep did not clarify the nature of the meetings, but unionized workers are covered by federal Weingarten rights which allow union reps to attend meetings disciplinary in nature to offer support for employees. Violators could face unfair labor practice charges.

During the meetings, the baristas were shown videos of them working, giving away free drip coffee to regular patrons, other service industry workers, and unhoused individuals. Throughout the meetings, the company’s representatives questioned the baristas and took detailed notes. When the baristas were fired the following week, the company cited the footage as the reason for their termination. A barista says they were misled to believe they were not disciplinary, and that there was no talking or discussing of the disciplinary process.

Another fired employee says he never received any disciplinary actions or write-ups in the three years he had worked at the West Loop location. A fourth fired employee, who had worked with the company for four years, says that under “old La Colombe culture” it was acceptable to give away free drinks occasionally and that the footage would not have warranted immediate termination.

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