Workers at a Raleigh Starbucks become the first in the Triangle seeking to form union
The national union organizing effort among Starbucks workers arrived in the Triangle this week, as employees of a Raleigh Starbucks filed petitions to seek union representation.
Workers at the Midtown East Starbucks, at 2901 Sherman Oak Place off of Wake Forest Road, submitted files to the National Labor Relations Board of their plans seeking a union through Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union.
This growing interest in Starbucks unions started late last year in Buffalo, NY, as workers there voted to form the company’s first union. That effort has kicked off a wave of organizing at Starbucks locations across the nation.
‘I want to be treated as a human being’
The Raleigh Starbucks marks the 87th location so far to attempt to organize its workers, according to a press release from the SIEU.
“I’m unionizing because I want to be treated as a human being and not a robot,” said Sharon Gilman, a Starbucks worker at the Raleigh location, in a release. “I want my health and well-being to be put before store operations, and I want my fellow partners to have a positive work environment where we all feel appreciated for our hard work.”
Alyssa Watkins has worked for Starbucks for four years, transferring to the Midtown East location in August after moving from Arizona. She said Starbucks workers have considered forming a union for years, but that only recently have those thoughts gained momentum.
“I think at almost every store I’ve been at, unionizing has been a hot topic,” Watkins said in a phone interview. “After the brave partners in Buffalo, workers across the country realized what was possible, that we could have a better future with Starbucks if we had a true partnership.”
Watkins said the impact of the pandemic exacerbated difficult working conditions at the cafes where she worked, leading to under-staffing, high demand from customers and low pay.
‘We don’t believe unions are necessary’
A spokesperson for Starbucks said the company does not think unions are necessary for its workers, but that it will respect the votes at individual locations.
“We’ll listen to the partners in the story, the way we always do across the country,” spokesperson Sarah Albanesi said in a phone interview. “We believe we’re better together through a direct relationship, without a third party between us. ... We don’t believe unions are necessary at Starbucks. We know that the issues that may arise in stores are best solved by the company working together with partners.”
Of the Starbucks that have petitioned to form a union, only three in the Buffalo area have held votes, with two voting yes and one voting down the union. Albanesi said collective bargaining talks have begun at one of the Buffalo locations.
“We respect our partners right to organize, and encourage them to do research and get all the information they need to make informed decisions,” Albanesi said. “When we have a vote, we’ll respect that outcome.”
Watkins said the Raleigh workers started organizing two weeks ago. Of the 24 employees at the Midtown East Starbucks, seven workers signed their names to a petition and Watkins thinks a total of 20 will support a union in an eventual vote.
“[Unionizing] is the only way for partners to receive the compensation they deserve,” Watkins said, using Starbucks’ term “partners” for employees. “All partners receive $15 an hour minimum, but that’s not really a living wage in cities across the country. This is a way to ask Starbucks for more.”
