Workers at a Starbucks cafe in Buffalo, New York have voted to establish the first union at one of the coffee chain’s company-owned shops in the United States.
There were hugs and cries of joy at the union office as the campaign won a decisive majority Thursday at the company’s Elmwood Avenue cafe in northern New York state near the Canadian border.
“Starbucks made it almost impossible for us to win,” said Starbucks employee Casey Moore, who backed the union. “We are now the first union Starbucks store in the United States. It feels like we’re on top of the world!”
But moments later, the mood became more subdued after officials with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced that a majority at a second Buffalo-area cafe voted against the union.
The election at a third Starbucks had still not been called in a process held via Zoom and orchestrated by the NLRB.
Under the banner of “Starbucks Workers United,” about 50 employees at cafes in this city near the Canadian border launched the campaign in late August.
A “yes” vote might have a knock-on effect — not just for Starbucks, but for other US firms like Amazon who are fighting similar efforts by workers to organize.
Earlier Thursday, Steve Boyd, a 60-year-old attorney, expressed support for the workers as he exited the Elmwood Avenue location with his daily fix.
“I see them every morning, they are sort of part of my day and they should have a living wage,” Boyd said.
“All across the US, businesses are complaining that they can’t find people to work, and the best way to find people to work is to give them fair wages, fair working conditions,” Boyd said. “So if unionizing supports this, then I support these people.”
– Rising activism –
The campaign shows how workers are becoming more assertive at a time when tight labor markets have given employees more clout, said Cedric de Leon, a labor expert at University of Massachusetts Amherst.
“The bargaining power of workers is very high at the moment,” de Leon told AFP.
There have been high-profile actions at other companies, such as a five-week strike at tractor maker John Deere & Co. earlier this fall.
And some 4.2 million Americans left their jobs in October, part of a phenomenon dubbed “The Great Resignation” that has added to the tightness in labor markets.
Union leaders had criticized Starbucks’ conduct during the campaign, calling out bare-knuckle corporate tactics that seemingly conflict with the brand’s progressive image.
The coffee chain, which recently announced that it was lifting its minimum wage to $15 an hour, has stressed that it is not anti-union, but argued that the issues raised by workers do not justify a union.
Officials have argued that a union will disrupt the company’s direct relationship with workers, dubbed “partners” in the chain’s lingo.
Union supporters say Starbucks has sent in about 200 managers and supervisors, who have cycled through the stores since August, in an apparent effort to win over undecided employees.
The company’s longtime architect and former CEO, Howard Schultz, led a meeting with employees in November.
Starbucks tried unsuccessfully to persuade the NLRB to replace the current election plan with one that comprises the 20-store region around Buffalo, which would presumably boost management’s odds of victory.
– ‘Psychological warfare’ –
The results could also be appealed, especially on the question of which specific employees are permitted to vote. Organizers say Starbucks rushed to hire new staff ahead of the election.
Whether by bringing in outside supervisors or urging employees to vote “no” in a stream of texts and emails, “it really is psychological warfare,” barista James Skretta said earlier this month.
“Starbucks’ union-busting activities have swayed a good number of people actually towards supporting the union,” he added.
Union backers say Buffalo is just the start of an effort that has already spread to the southwestern state of Arizona, where workers recently demanded a vote.
“Why is Starbucks so worried about the unionization efforts at three locations when they have almost 9,000 locations?” de Leon said.
“It would start a wave within the company. It’s already beginning.”
