Speaking of unionizing efforts, it was disappointing, to say the least, to read that the small Cambridge-based coffee chain, Darwins had voluntarily agreed to recognize its employees as unionized without going through a formal NLRB election process. Instead, the 4-unit chain will collectively bargain with Darwins United, which has established itself as an affiliate of Unite Here and claims to represent the interests of Darwin’s employees. The agreement by Darwin’s comes on the heels of a seemingly concerted effort to organize workers in a number of coffee chains around the country. Starbucks employees in 3 shops in the Buffalo New York area have a union representation petition pending before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), while Starbucks has countered that all 20 shops in Buffalo and 450 employees should collectively have a vote in the union election. organizing effort. In June, Pavement Coffeehouse voluntarily agreed for its 75 employees to unionize, as did 20-unit Colectivo Coffee (joining the IBEW) and the 23-store Buffalo coffee chain, Spot on Coffee.