More Starbucks workers in Philadelphia join push to unionize

Starbucks employees at two more Philadelphia stores have filed petitions seeking to unionize on the heels of a pair last week.

Driving the news: Workers at the 1900 Market St. store in Center City and 3401 Walnut St. in West Philadelphia filed petitions to hold elections on union representation with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Thursday.

The big picture: Only two of Starbucks' roughly 9,000 company-owned stores in the U.S. have unionized.

• But it has set off a chain of similar efforts across the country, as workers from the Portland area to Atlanta have begun filing petitions.

Zoom in: Starbucks employees at the two Philadelphia stores seeking to unionize this week have been coordinating on the campaign with workers at 1945 Callowhill St. and 600 S 9th St., who filed their petitions Jan. 28.

• They're all seeking to join Workers United, an affiliate of Service Employees International Union.

Between the lines: Employees at the four stores are seeking protections against retaliation and unjust firings, as well as more consistent and fair scheduling.

• They've also called for higher pay and for the company to address concerns over safety issues, among other things.

What they're saying: Lydia Fernandez, who has worked as a barista at the Center City location for nearly a year, said workers at her store were inspired by the successful campaigns in New York's Buffalo area.

• "We saw what was happening and we realized we could do this for ourselves, too, and now could be the time where we can take action … so that we can improve our working conditions, improve our lives, and just be happier at Starbucks," she said.

Starbucks didn't immediately respond to Axios' request seeking comment.