Cambridge coffee shop employees unionize, cause the cessation of business

Employees of a Cambridge, Massachusetts based coffee shop chain named Darwin's had formed a trade union. The union was seeking a number of benefits for the employees including compensation at the rate of 24 USD per hour. For your reference, the median income for a full-time worked in the US is 56,287 USD per year, of about 27 USD per hour. Typically, people making coffee and sandwiches make less - I'd say, a rate of about 15 USD per hour would be more typical for this kind of work in he Boston area.

As a result the Darwin's management decided to shut down the business. Because while a union may force a business to force a certain pay rate, they can't force the business to exist in the first place. Don't get me wrong - I am all for negotiating and fighting for better employment conditions, either individually or within a group. But everything needs to be done within reason.