Starbucks Workers In Buffalo Form Coffee Giant’s First U.S. Union

Starbucks Workers In Buffalo Form Coffee Giant’s First U.S. Union

Share to Linkedin Employees at a Starbucks store in Buffalo, New York voted to form the first union at a company-owned location in the United States, the National Labor Relations Board said Thursday, despite the coffee giant's opposition to the union drive. Starbucks employees watch a screen as votes are counted on December 9, 2021 in Buffalo, New York. ... [+] (Photo by Eleonore SENS / AFP) (Photo by ELEONORE SENS/AFP via Getty Images) Around 100 workers at three separate Starbucks locations voted in Thursday's union election. Workers at a store in Buffalo's Elmwood neighborhood voted 19-8 in favor of a union, a second location rejected unionization (12-8) and vote counting was underway for the third store as of 2:45 p. m. ET. Starbucks operates nearly 9, 000 stores in the U. S. and employs roughly 235, 000 people at those locations—none had been unionized. Workers at the three locations are demanding to discuss their wages and work environment, and the baristas told Reuters they were struggling with a pandemic-era surge in mobile app orders. Starbucks has vehemently opposed the union drive, sending legendary former CEO Howard Schultz to the Buffalo locations to persuade the workers to vote against a