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Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Chicago sees wave of union activity driven by COVID-19 pandemic - Chicago Tribune

Last year, Brick Zurek, a shift supervisor at a Starbucks in the Loop, found working conditions at the store becoming increasingly untenable.

People coming into the store threatened and screamed at baristas. One person, after being served a cup of scalding hot water, poured it on the manager, Zurek said. On top of that, the store was short-staffed, sometimes with just a few baristas tasked with serving a line out the door.

Zurek had read on Twitter and in the news about Starbucks employees in Buffalo, New York, who were pushing to unionize their stores.



Read Full Story: https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-pandemic-labor-resurgence-2022...