Starbucks unionization effort brews at 3 Buffalo-area cafes
Workers at three Starbucks coffee shops in the Buffalo, New York, area filed petitions Monday with the National Labor Relations Board asking for a vote on union representation.
Employees at the stores told The New York Times they were seeking to organize under the Starbucks Workers United banner to address problems such as understaffing, unpredictable scheduling and insufficient training.
An organizing committee of four dozen workers sent a letter last week to Starbucks President and CEO Kevin Johnson asking for assurances that employees who favor a union won’t face reprisals.
In a statement, the company said: “We respect our partners’ right to organize but believe that they would not find it necessary given our pro-partner environment.”
Starbucks has no unions at its more than 8,000 company-owned stores in the U.S. It is appealing a ruling by a judge in June that it unlawfully retaliated against two Philadelphia baristas who sought to unionize.