PHOENIX (AP) — Employees at a suburban Phoenix Starbucks store are holding a vote on whether to unionize.
If the Wednesday vote goes in favor of unionizing, the Mesa, Arizona, store would become the latest in a nationwide movement among the coffee chain’s workers.
A Starbucks store in Buffalo, New York, became the first to unionize in December. A second one in the area followed a month later. Since then, more than 65 stores in 20 states have filed petitions with the labor board to hold union elections, according to Workers United, which is organizing Starbucks workers.
Starbucks opposes unionization, saying the company functions best when it can work directly with its employees.
The effort to form unions has also led to firings. Last week, the Seattle-based coffee giant fired seven workers who were spearheading a union campaign in Memphis, Tennessee. The company said those workers violated policy by reopening a store after closing time and inviting non-employees to come inside and move throughout the store. The employees also did TV interviews from the store.
Employees countered that Starbucks was retaliating. They plan to file a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board.
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