Starbucks workers from 21 coffee shops around the U.S. announced they will file petitions to unionize with the National Labor Relations Board, marking Starbucks Workers United’s most aggressive expansion since its inception.
The organizing baristas announced their intentions in a letter to Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan Tuesday.
“We hereby demand recognition of [SWU] as the bargaining representative for all full-time and regular part-time baristas and shift supervisors employed at Starbucks at the undersigned facilities,” the letter reads. “We demand that Starbucks immediately begin bargaining with the union over terms and conditions of employment.”
The baristas also outlined key demands.
“As employees, we deserve the same respect and dignity as the CEO. This dignity includes fair pay, clear communication with all partners, a say in the decisions that affect our day-to-day, better power balance and manageable expectations,” the letter continues. “Partners are not merely your workers but human beings who have the right to pursue happiness outside of our work.”
The 21 stores joining the petition effort could likely join the nearly 400 already unionized Starbucks locations in the U.S.
Starbucks Workers United, which began its unionization efforts in 2021, has won over 80% of its union elections despite opposition from the company. The union hasn’t been able to secure a contract for any of its hundreds of stores.
Starbucks has been under fire from labor regulators since the unionization effort began. The NLRB has ruled against Starbucks in 48 of the 49 cases it has heard concerning the company’s treatment of workers sympathetic to unionization. The coffee giant has had nearly 500 unfair labor practice charges filed against it. Starbucks has denied any wrongdoing and has reopened negotiations with SWU after months of silence.
“While we believe our direct relationship as partners is core to our culture and our continued improvements to the partner experience, we respect the rights of partners to organize and reaffirm our aim to negotiate first contracts for represented stores this year,” the company said in a statement. “Our aim will be to ensure the process is fair and our partners’ voices are heard.”
The stores filing for union elections are in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, North Dakota, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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