Starbucks Workers in Buffalo Just Won Themselves a Union
Starbucks was designed from its inception to be union-proof. But yesterday workers in Buffalo, New York, managed to win the first union at the company in the US. It’s a landmark victory, and it can be replicated elsewhere.
Starbucks employees celebrate after votes were counted on December 9, 2021 in Buffalo, New York. (Eleonore Sens / AFP via Getty Images)
With a vote of nineteen to eight, the Elmwood Avenue location in Buffalo, New York, became the first unionized Starbucks in the United States.
It may just be one Starbucks store, but the successful union drive is a win for employees at all fifteen thousand Starbucks locations in the United States. The victory also leaves the door open for further organizing in both fast food and craft cafés.
Elmwood was one of three Starbucks locations that held unionization votes on Thursday. The final ballot count at the Camp Road location in Hamburg, just south of Buffalo, resulted in eight votes for the union and twelve votes against. The Camp Road location was flooded with new staff over the last several months, which may have contributed to the opposition. The union also expressed a concern that all of the ballots may not have been counted at the Camp Road location, and it’s considering filing an objection.
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