There Are Over 50 Unionized Starbucks in the United States Now

Unions are continuing to organize across the country every day.

pio3/Shutterstock
pio3/Shutterstock

The Starbucks union movement continues to spread across the country, with at least 55 stores officially voting to unionize since the first Buffalo store voted to unionize in December 2021. On May 4, another store joined the legion of unionized stores. A store in Plover, Wisconsin announced victory on Wednesday afternoon.

The wins come amidst fervent anti-union practices from Starbucks' executives, which have not slowed down the momentum of organizers. On May 4, Starbucks announced that it would be giving pay increases to employees, except to unionized workers.


 

"Starbucks is permitted by law to offer these benefits to workers at unionized stores," Starbucks Workers United said in a statement shared with the press. "Our bargaining committees will demand that these modest improvements be given immediately to all the partners."

Starbucks Workers United has announced that more than 200 stores have filed to unionize, and elections are being held daily. The growth of this labor movement has been exponential. By February, workers at 100 stores had announced an intent to unionize.

Some of the most notable votes to unionize have happened in stores that are symbolically important to the company. So far, in Starbucks' hometown of Seattle, seven stores have filed to unionize, and two stores have already successfully voted to form unions.

According to HuffPost, Starbucks workers have won 85% of their union elections to date. Votes are scheduled to take place in another 100 stores in the coming months.

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Opheli Garcia Lawler is a staff writer at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @opheligarcia and Instagram @opheligarcia.