Staffers opt to unionize at 1 Buffalo Starbucks

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Starbucks workers have voted to unionize at a store in Buffalo, New York, over the company’s objections, pointing the way to a new labor model for the 50-year old coffee giant.

The National Labor Relations Board said Thursday that workers voted 19-8 in favor of a union at one of three locations. The board is still counting votes for two other stores.

If the labor board certifies the vote, a process expected to take about a week, it would be the first for any Starbucks-owned store in the U.S. to unionize. Starbucks has fought unionization at its stores for decades.

Workers at all three stores began voting by mail last month on whether they wanted to be represented by Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union.

The National Labor Relations Board began counting ballots Thursday from union elections held at the stores. Around 111 Starbucks workers from the three stores were eligible to vote by mail starting last month.

“Yes” votes could also accelerate unionization efforts at other U.S. Starbucks stores. Already, three more stores in Buffalo and a store in Mesa, Arizona, have filed petitions with the labor board for their own union elections. Those cases are pending.

Union backers at the first three Buffalo stores filed petitions with the labor board in August seeking representation by Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union. Those workers say Starbucks’ stores had chronic problems such as understaffing and faulty equipment even before the pandemic. They want more input on pay and store operations.

Starbucks insists its 8,000 company-owned U.S. stores function best when it works directly with its employees.