BLOOMINGTON – Starbucks workers at the Indiana Ave location filed a petition for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) today, along with 17 other Starbucks stores nationwide.
The massive wave of union filings comes just days after Starbucks Workers United members wrapped a second round of national bargaining with Starbucks, during which the two parties continued to make significant progress toward a foundational framework for store contracts.
With their election petitions, the Starbucks partners seek to join a growing nationwide movement of more than 10,500 baristas united to win justice at work, including protections on core issues like respect, living wages, racial and gender equity, and fair scheduling.
“In my five years as a barista, I’ve seen management demonstrate a lot less care for partners and shift their focus more and more to profits and corporate bonuses at the expense of us baristas and shift supervisors,” said Sophia Lee (she/her), a barista. “I believe in our collective power, and I know that all my fellow partners and I are fed up with uncertain hours, understaffing at peak hours, lack of communication or consideration between managers & staff, and wages that barely reflect the profit our labor provides the company. I am excited to stand with the partners in my store and the 440+ unionized Starbucks stores across the country as we demand better from this company!”
Workers from the 18 stores co-authored a letter to Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan to announce their organizing push.
“Though we work at different stores, we are united through our shared experiences and in our demand for higher wages, fair and consistent scheduling, improved benefits, and a safe and dignified workplace,” the workers wrote, continuing that they “believe that forming a union is necessary to address these concerns.”
Starbucks baristas in the following cities and locations filed for union elections today:
- Alameda & Shelton – Burbank, CA
- Dixie Hwy – Miami, FL
- Indiana Ave – Bloomington, IN
- Brighton Village – Brighton, MA
- Riverdale Park – University Park, MD
- I55 & Northside – Jackson, MS
- Troy Hills – Parsippany, NJ
- 155 Water Street – NYC
- Nassau and Fulton – NYC
- 444 Broadway – NYC
- Westgate – Toledo, OH
- Howe Ave – Akron, OH
- Media – Media, PA
- Shadyside – Pittsburgh, PA
- Main St & Wilson Rd – Newberry, SC
- Pipeline & Hwy 820 – Dallas, TX
- 1121 S. Jordan Pkwy – South Jordan, UT
- 7th & Westlake – Seattle, WA
Since Starbucks partners first joined to form a union in 2021, workers at more than 440 Starbucks stores have won union elections with the NLRB in 43 states and the District of Columbia. The historic organizing campaign hinges on peer-to-peer organizing led by workers, for workers – and has won election after election in stores nationwide.
Union Starbucks partners met in Chicago last week and Atlanta last month, kicking off historic negotiations toward a foundational framework for collective bargaining agreements. Hundreds of delegates representing all union stores participated, with 150 delegates attending in person and another 280 joining virtually via caucuses outside bargaining meetings.
Starbucks Workers United members have made significant progress in negotiations, including “just cause” standards and education benefits for organized workers, as partners across the country continue joining the growing union movement. Today’s massive filing announcement comes on the heels of dozens of victories in recent weeks in which workers voted to join Starbucks Workers United in Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Virginia, Utah, Wisconsin, and more.
