Starbucks Workers Are WINNING

And bringing the labor movement into the 21st century.

Sep 17, 2024

starbuckssignspic — *A rally for illegally fired baristas outside a Starbucks location.*

Three years ago, a humble coffee shop in Buffalo, New York, made history by redefining what it means to be a 21st-century worker. In a 19 to 8 vote, the shop became the first Starbucks store to unionize, energizing the American labor movement like a double-shot caramel latte overpowering the Monday morning blues. This extraordinary event, where the workers unknowingly tipped the first domino, triggered a wave of collective action that spread far beyond the Seattle-based coffee chain.

Since then, close to 500 stores have followed Buffalo’s example and joined the independent union Starbucks Workers United (SBWU). But it hasn’t been easy. To quell the movement and protect its profits, Starbucks responded with the full force of Fortunate 500 union-busting. From ending tips to closing unionized stores, the “progressive” coffee company has done everything possible to chill the fervor of solidarity captivating its workforce. For a moment, the Starbucks saga sounded like a story we’ve heard before: a spirited people-first initiative starts strong before being crushed by the iron fist of capital. However, as a recent ruling from the National Labor Relations Board shows, this script appears to have a different ending. This time, the good guys are winning.

*The Meadow Street Starbucks store in Ithaca, NY. One of the two locations ordered to be reopened by the NLRB.*

Victory!

On September 13^th, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled Starbucks had closed two stores in Ithaca, New York, to “chill unionism.” Calling this a violation of the National Labor Relations Act, the judge ordered Starbucks to reopen the shops “within a reasonable time period.” (You can read the full ruling in the PDF below.) Both highly visible and material, this decision is a massive victory for Starbucks Workers United. But it isn’t an isolated triumph. As the data shows, Starbucks workers are slowly but surely winning their unionization fight against the world’s most prominent coffee chain.

Administrative Law Judges Decision Starbucks Corporation

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Of the 17,000 Starbucks locations in the United States, 496 stores have successfully unionized, placing just over 11,500 baristas in SBWU. While only 3% of Starbucks stores are union, what’s significant about this effort is the victory rate. Of the 580 stores that have completed a union vote, only 84 have voted against unionization. That’s a 86% win rate, 12 points higher than the current average union election win rate of 74%. This success is even more impressive considering the average win rate has risen 20 points in the last decade, meaning Starbucks union elections are exceeding the highest success rate in modern American history by double digits.

Additionally, of the stores that elected to unionize, the YES votes outnumbered the NO votes by over 4:1 (6,274 YES, 1,430 NO). In the failed elections, the ratio of NOs to YESs was less than 2:1 (922 NO, 535 YES). With a victory margin more than double its counterpart, we see the vitality of collective action strongly outweighs its opposition even in shops that have yet to unionize.

While the total number of unionized shops is still a small portion of The Starbucks Empire (2.9% of the company’s approximately 17,000 U.S. Stores), the progress is impressive given the company’s ruthless union busting. Ever since the quaint Buffalo store announced its intent to unionize, Starbucks has attacked the movement like a Karen cursing out at an overworked barista for putting too many ice cubes in her iced latte.

In February 20221, seven pro-union employees at a Memphis store were fired for an alleged “security infraction.” The NLRB ruled the workers had been fired for their pro-union sentiment, and the case made it all the way to the Supreme Court (Starbucks Corporation v. McKinney). While “The Memphis 7” became the public face of Starbucks’s anti-union efforts, their story is not unique. Courts have found Starbucks has illegally fired workers for protected union activity in both Buffalo2 and Denver (I’ve crossed paths with these workers on local picket lines), with dozens more allegations across the country. But illegal firings are only one tool in Starbucks’ union-busting toolbox. It has also:

Threatened to freeze employees’ benefits and wages during contract negotiation3,
Prevented unionized workers from receiving credit card tips, reducing their real wage by $4 an hour4,
Withheld raises and promotions from union stores,
Refused to negotiate with Starbucks Workers United for years5,
Told workers interested in unionizing to “work elsewhere”6, and, most heinously,
Threatened to cut trans employees’ gender-affirming medical care if they unionized.7

Real classy stuff from the ostensibly “left wing” coffee company. Given the magnitude of Starbucks’ anti-union onslaught, a single union store would be a noteworthy victory. The fact the nearly 500 stores have overcome this oppression through sheer willpower is a historic achievement.

*Image of a memo sent to Starbucks workers discouraging unionization.*

The impact of Starbucks Workers United isn’t limited to Starbucks or even the coffee industry. As baristas are disproportionately from marginalized identities, this labor movement is challenging America’s outdated notion of what a “worker” looks like. While legacy media still envisions every union member as a hard-hat-wearing, lunch-pail-carrying, burly white man covered in coal soot, Starbucks workers are proving that, like America, the labor movement has evolved and diversified. According to Starbucks, their employees are overwhelmingly female (71.4%) and disproportionately people of color.8 As these groups have historically been the most exploited by capital, both with regards to the unpaid domestic labor of caregivers and the wage gaps between men and women and White and non-White workers, the Starbucks Workers United is reminding the world what it means to be a “worker” — someone who sells their labor to survive, regardless of their skin color, age, or identity. Millions of other marginalized Americans see themselves in the Starbucks movement and feel compelled to organize, such as the graduate students who organized with the United Auto Workers and helped elect the militant President Sean Fain. (Fain 2028, please!)

State Street and Capitol Square Starbucks employees join nationwide Pride strike - The Daily Cardinal — *Workers strike in 2023 after Starbucks allegedly ordered LGBT+ decorations removed from certain stores.*

However, diversifying the union movement isn’t the only thing Starbucks workers are showing America. More importantly, they’re proving workers can win.

Anyone who has ever had an uncomfortable conversation with a boss can tell you it’s harrowing for a worker to stand against capital. Corporations have endless resources and time, while you need a job to survive. More troubling, history shows bosses have had no qualms about breaking the law or using physical violence to quash unions and protect their profits. The Memphis 7 and the ghost of Joe Hill can testify to that. But with their remarkable rate of union elections, recent victory before the National Labor Relations Board, and unwavering spirit to fight for a better life, Starbucks workers are showing the rest of us that when you dare to struggle, you dare to win.

JoeWrote

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