Workers United News

The campaign to unionize Starbucks Corp. stores across the country has reached a new stage, with federal labor board prosecutors heading into hearings over accusations that the coffee chain violated labor law as workers at a growing number of locations have gone on strike.

The union backing organizing efforts at Starbucks is creating a $1 million fund to cover lost pay for baristas who go on strike, giving workers more firepower in their fight to unionize.

Employees at four Philadelphia Starbucks stores voted to unionize on Wednesday, joining dozens of others across the United States. At least 80 Starbucks stores have voted to form a union with Workers United and scores more have petitioned to unionize, said Alex Riccio, a staff organizer at the union who organized the Philly campaigns.

No company in America is busting unions as shamelessly as Starbucks is right now. President Joe Biden and his labor board could put a stop to it — if they choose to.

Starbucks workers are unionizing at a breakneck pace. We ran the numbers and found that more than 2,000 Starbucks workers are now unionized — and that number will likely triple in the coming months.

For Starbucks baristas — many of them young and queer — it used to be a point of pride to work for a company with a reputation for taking care of its employees. But some employees say the company's response to their unionization efforts prove otherwise.