Dec 9, 2021 - Politics & Policy
Starbucks workers at Buffalo store vote to unionize

- Yacob Reyes, author ofAxios Tampa Bay

Starbucks. Photo: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Starbucks workers at a store in Buffalo, New York overwhelmingly voted in favor of forming a union, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) confirmed Thursday.
Why it matters: The push to unionize was largely fueled by staffing shortages and poor working conditions exacerbated during the pandemic, per CNBC. None of the coffee giant's U.S. company-owned stores were unionized before the vote.
- Workers at the Elmwood Avenue location voted 19-8 to form the union, an NLRB spokesperson told Axios.
- The union effort faced strong opposition from Starbucks management, according to the New York Times. Several top executives were sent to Buffalo locations ahead of the vote.
Worth noting: The union effort at another Buffalo-area Starbucks store fell through Thursday, with the NLRB telling Axios that employees voted 12-8 against forming a union.
- The agency has yet to confirm the results of another union vote at a third Buffalo store.