Starbucks Union Elections in Chicago See Mixed Results

The Starbucks unionization movement continues in Chicago, but the union elections this past Tuesday, June 7, had mixed results. The staff at the cafe at 55th and Woodlawn in Hyde Park voted to unionize, the Hyde Park Herald reports, making it the first unionized Starbucks on the South Side. But baristas and shift supervisors at two other stores, one in the Loop (155 N. Wabash) and another in Logan Square (2543 N. California), voted against the union, reports the Tribune.

The losses at the Loop and Logan Square cafes are particularly surprising: those were the first two Starbucks locations in the city to file for union certification back in January. A spokeswoman for Workers United, the union representing the Starbucks workers, told the Tribune that the five-month gap between the Loop and Logan Square filings and the final vote worked against unionization efforts: it gave Starbucks “time... to hold captive audience meetings, coerce and intimidate the partners.” Last month, interim CEO Howard Schultz also announced new pay raises and benefits that would not apply to workers in unionized stores.

Meanwhile, the unionization efforts continue: 10 Chicago Starbucks locations have filed for union elections, including two in Edgewater and West Ridge earlier this month, and two in Edgewater have voted for a union. Meanwhile, elections at a cafe in Bucktown (2101 W. Armitage) are underway and will be counted on Tuesday, June 14.

Chicago pie queen Maya-Camille Broussard to publish her first cookbook

Maya-Camille Broussard, the popular Chicago pie maker behind Justice of the Pies and a finalist for the 2022 James Beard Award for Outstanding Baker, has penned a cookbook scheduled to hit shelves on October 18, according to an Instagram post. Justice of the Pies will feature more than 85 of Broussard’s recipes for sweet and savory pies, highlighting favorites such as salted caramel peach pie, basil Key lime pie, and “fig and pig” quiche. She also uses the book as a platform to profile “heroes outside the kitchen: luminaries who strive for social justice and equity” — a natural inclusion as Justice of the Pies is an LC3, a for-profit business that has a social mission as its primary goal, and Broussard regularly partners with groups like Cabrini Green Legal Aid and Dream On Education for workshops and fundraisers. The cookbook ($30) is available to pre-order online.

How to hit every summer festival in the city this weekend

Summer festival season is in full swing, but due to pandemic postponements and other concerns (mostly to do with fickle spring weather), many of the June events ended up being scheduled this weekend. Which leads to an abundance of choices: the Vegandale Festival in Grant Park, Taste of Chicago in Austin, Fiestas Patronales (following the Puerto Rican People’s Day Parade in Humboldt Park), Midsommarfest in Andersonville, the Ravenswood on Tap Craft Beer Festival, the Greater Chicago Jewish Festival in Skokie, and assorted James Beard Awards-related festivities — and those are just the ones that have a significant food and drink component. Axios has prepared a handy guide to how to attend as many as possible without the aid of a TARDIS.