Dec 9, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Starbucks workers at Buffalo store vote to unionize

Yacob Reyes

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.

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Starbucks workers at Buffalo store vote to unionize

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