Colectivo Coffee's union workers have ratified their first contract. The effort started in 2020.

Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Updated ·2 min read
Workers at Colectivo Coffee Roasters Inc., including those at its Wauwatosa cafe, have approved their first union contract.
Workers at Colectivo Coffee Roasters Inc., including those at its Wauwatosa cafe, have approved their first union contract.

Colectivo Coffee Rosters Inc.'s union workforce has ratified its first labor agreement with the Milwaukee-based company.

The Wisconsin and Illinois workers of Colectivo Coffee voted by a 95% margin to approve the contract, according to an announcement from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Colectivo's Milwaukee and Madison area workers are represented by IBEW Local 494, with Chicago-area workers represented by IBEW Local 1220. The partnership between the two locals is known as the Colectivo Collective.

The ratification vote, announced Wednesday, comes nearly 15 months after the National Labor Relations Board issued a final decision that the IBEW was properly elected as the certified bargaining representative for Colectivo's employees.

That came after a union organizing campaign dating to mid-2020 led to a 106-99 vote in favor of forming a union was announced in August 2021.

An initial count of votes in April 2021 ended in a 99-99 tie. The NLRB opened some challenged ballots for the final tally.

That August 2021 vote made Colectivo Coffee the largest unionized coffee chain in the United States, according to the IBEW.

The two-year contract covers around 600 workers, said IBEW spokesman Ryan Neibauer. “This contract ratification is the culmination of the efforts of hundreds of workers over the past three years," said Hillary Laskonis, Milwaukee area Colectivo Coffee cafe co-worker and original member of the Volunteer Organizing Committee of the Colectivo Collective.

"We could not have made it to this point without their bravery, the tireless work of the folks at the IBEW, as well as the vocal support of thousands of customers and members of the community," Laskonis said, in a statement.

"I am beside myself with gratitude for all of them this week. I look forward to what the future holds for those of us behind the counter and throughout Colectivo Coffee,” Laskonis said.

"Colectivo has always been committed to being an employer of choice," said company President Scott Isabella.

"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," Isabella said, in a statement.

Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more

Subscribe to get the BusinessWatch email newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Colectivo Coffee workers in Wisconsin, Chicago approve union contract