Heine Bros union workers protest 7-1-22 (2).JPG
A group of Heine Bros. workers seeking to unionize said they were "blindsided" by the abrupt closure of the coffee chain's 21-year-old Douglass Loop location on June 30. Photo July 1, 2022, by Chris Otts, WDRB News
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A group of Heine Bros. workers seeking to unionize said they were “blindsided” by the abrupt closure of the 21-year-old Douglass Loop coffee shop on Thursday, but the local chain said it was long planned.
Baristas at Heine Brothers Coffee’s 17 stores are the biggest group to vote on unionizing in the Louisville area in almost a decade, marking what labor leaders hope is a resurgence in the movement thanks to fresh interest from coffee makers, book sellers and other service-sector workers.
In July, the Department of Labor notified Heine Brothers that labor and wage laws changed in 2020, saying that a "store manager with hiring and firing authority could no longer receive tips."
