Birmingham Starbucks workers inspire another Alabama store's employees to seek a vote on unionizing.
An employee of the Birmingham Starbucks on 20th Street South raises his fist after he and his co-workers overwhelmingly voted to unionize.Another Starbucks location in Alabama wants a vote to unionize.
The employees in the Starbucks Workers United organizing committee at Store 66182 in Scottsboro have informed Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz that they intend to seek unionization. In a two-page letter circulating on social media, the group says it was inspired by the recent vote to unionize at the Birmingham location.20th Street South in Birmingham overwhelmingly voted to form a union by a vote of 27-1,In its letter, the organizing committee states that employees “cannot feel safe and supported in their own work environment.”
“As we continue to work, we have become more self-aware of the voice we must have in order to see the change that is very much needed not only at our store but multiple stores,” the letter states. “Our store manager has failed us, our district manager has failed us, and Starbucks has failed us. By uniting with Partners around the country, we seek to help Starbucks fulfill its promise to our communities.
Starbucks, which has 9,000 stores in the U.S., has seen union petitions filed at more than 200 stores this year, with more than 50 petitions in April. According to the pro-union group More Perfect Union, unions have won 122 elections.