Workers at Second City – Chicago’s premier comedy theater – will vote the week of November 13th on the formation of a union. Hospitality workers at the theater began efforts to unionize in July as a way to both raise wages and secure more fair procedures for promotions, raises, and scheduling. Workers and their supporters, along with Illinois State Rep. Will Guzzardi, rallied on November 7th outside the theater to show their support for the effort.

“This is something we’ve been working on for a long time,” said Ryan Andrews, a bartender at the theater. “This is something we think needs to happen not just here at Second City but all over the country. This is not an affront to the management here…not an insult to the legacy of Second City. We want a collective voice on the job. We want a fair union contract.”

If successful, more than 100 workers at the theater, which include bartenders, ticket takers, and servers would become part of the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America. A larger story about the struggle will appear in the Third Coast Review this week. Meanwhile, you can support Aaron’s work on Patreon.