For some people, loyalty to a particular coffee brand rivals their devotion to a favorite college football team. Kathleen, my spouse, would crawl three miles over broken glass for her Starbucks Americano decaf. I favor QuikTrip and McDonald’s coffee. Within the last three months, employees at several Starbucks locations voted to unionize. Seem like isolated events? Don’t underestimate their significance.
Campaigns to Unionize Starbucks
Last December, employees at a Starbucks store in Buffalo, New York, voted to recognize Workers United as their bargaining representative. The labor organization is affiliated with the Service Employees International Union. It was the first time one of Starbucks’ corporate-owned locations was unionized. The following month, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) certified a victory for a union at another Starbucks location in Buffalo.