Union activity is steaming up at a Starbucks in Anderson Township.
According to a July 2 press release, Starbucks baristas (referred to as "partners" by the company) at the Beechmont & Five Mile Starbucks location have filed a petition for a union election.
Starbucks Workers United is a worker-led unionizing effort run by Starbucks partners who also work regular shifts. The union effort originated in Buffalo, New York where the first U.S. Starbucks unionized in 2021.
"Unionizing is our stand for fair treatment and respect. The Starbucks I once admired has changed, and not for the better. Returning has been a whole new experience, revealing a company that no longer embodies the principles it once stood for," said Steven Applegate, a Starbucks partner for over two years. "By coming together, we aim to restore the values we believed in, ensuring that every worker is heard, respected and treated fairly."
Workers at the Beechmont & Five Mile location have signed onto a letter with eight other Starbucks locations across the country, explaining their complaints for the company's CEO, Laxman Narasimhan. Demands include better pay, appropriate staffing, consistent scheduling and more.
"Consistently, schedules are not meeting partners’ financial needs or availability needs. When we don’t get enough hours, we have to work multiple jobs which causes further scheduling issues and puts significant stress on partners. 'World class benefits' don’t matter if you don’t get scheduled enough hours to qualify for them," the letter reads. "At the same time, we are seeing more and more promotional days, and we are not seeing the increased staffing to match it. Partners are doing the work of multiple people and not being compensated for it. This causes burnout which leads to partners quitting and higher turnover which in turn causes more burnout."
Starbucks Workers United is a worker-led unionizing effort run by Starbucks partners who also work regular shifts. The union effort originated in Buffalo, New York where the first U.S. Starbucks unionized in 2021.
Starbucks Workers United represents more than 460 Starbucks locations, covering more than 10,500 workers, according to the union.
"The historic organizing campaign hinges on peer-to-peer organizing led by workers, for workers – and has won election after election in stores nationwide," the release reads.
This would be the second local Starbucks location to unionize after the Downtown location at 401 Vine St. became the first in June 2022.
This would be the second local Starbucks location to unionize after the Downtown location at 401 Vine St. became the first in June 2022.
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