2 local Starbucks vote for union
At least 230 stores in the U.S. have filed petitions with NLRB to unionize
Two Starbucks stores, one in Lakewood and the other in Long Beach, are the first in Southern California to vote to join a union.
Employees at a Starbucks in Lakewood voted 24-1 earlier this week to join Starbucks Workers United.
Just before noon on Friday, employees at the Starbucks at the corner of Redondo Avenue and Seventh Street in Long Beach voted 13-0 to unionize.
Two other stores in Santa Cruz were the first in California to vote to join SWU earlier this week.
“WORKERS JUST WON THE FIRST UNIONIZED STARBUCKS STORE IN CALIFORNIA !!!!! ” screamed a tweet posted May Wednesday on Twitter by Starbucks Workers United.
Workers United is an affiliate of Service Employees International Union.
Employees at the Lakewood store at Candlewood Street and Lakewood voted to join the union.
“Workers are waking up and saying we are the ones who make the money for the company, nobody else,” Lakewood organizer Tyler Keeling told LAist in a story posted Friday.
In late April, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia stopped by the Starbucks on Seventh Street to offer some encouragement to the staff. His grande coffee frappuccino was labeled “Union Strong.”
“Really proud that our Long Beach Starbucks at Redondo and 7th is about to become the first Starbucks in Southern California with a union,” Garcia tweeted April 24. “Stopped by today to support the workers as they organize. Congrats and thank you.”
Thai Viet Phan was having brunch with friends in Long Beach when news of the union votes appeared on her Facebook feed.
She had initially planned to leave the city, but turned around and drove to the Starbucks to buy a drink and congratulate the workers.
“It's exciting to see working people demand better working conditions,” she said. “It's not always about the pay.”
Missing the mark
Starbucks Corp. issued a statement after the two Santa Cruz stores voted to unionize.
“We are listening and learning from the partners in these stores as we always do across the country. From the beginning, we've been clear in our belief that we are better together as partners, without a union between us, and that conviction has not changed. We respect our partner's right to organize and are committed to following the NLRB process.”
Burt Flickinger III, managing director for the retail consulting firm Strategic Resource Group, said Starbucks management has failed to effectively listen to and address employee concerns since former CEO Jim Donald left the company 14 years ago.
“He was what my father used to call an `odometer CEO,' ” Flickinger said. “What he meant by that was that Jim Donald had a lot of miles on his odometer because he was always in stores and very hands-on with employees. The current president (Kevin Johnson) is much less that way.”
At least 230 Starbucks stores in the U.S. have filed petitions with the National Labor Relations Board to unionize and about 50 have voted to join, according to an NPR report May 3.
The effort to unionize Starbucks has been met with stiff resistance by the Seattle-based coffee giant. It has filed complaints with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board alleging unfair practices by labor organizers toward workers and what it calls “an increase in nefarious behavior,” according to Bloomberg.
The coffee chain alleged that individuals associated with Workers United limited access to stores in Arizona and Colorado and threatened workers for not supporting the labor drive.
The union has also filed dozens of NLRB complaints against the company alleging illegal behavior, which Starbucks has denied.
On its website, Starbucks Workers United said most employees in the coffee industry are overworked and underpaid. By unionizing, workers have a chance to elevate their standard of living.
“Our industry can be tough,” the organization said. “We know what it's like to be understaffed and overworked, on our feet for hours at a time, memorizing long menus, presenting a sunny demeanor to customers — even when they're entitled, or impatient, or rude, or creepy.”