Starbucks Workers File For Union Elections

Workers at Starbucks cafes in Hamden and Woodbridge filed petitions for union elections on Wednesday, alongside 13 other locations across the country that are hoping to join the more than 400 stores that have already won their unions as part of Starbucks Workers United.

Those two nearby locations — at Litchfield Turnpike in Woodbridge and on Dixwell Avenue in Hamden — joined their 13 fellow filing locations in signing onto a letter addressed to CEO Laxman Narasimhan, explaining their motivation for calling for an election. Workers, whom Starbucks refers to as ​“partners,” are looking for better hours and more support by way of increased staff.

“We are told as workers that we are essential partners in creating a welcoming and relaxing third space for our customers, while in the same breath that we have not earned the staffing we need to actually create that space,” the letter reads.

Describing shrinking staff, increased wait times, and cut hours, the letter continues, ​“We are drawn in with the promise of benefits Starbucks describes as industry leading, yet struggle against the company to get the minimum hours we need to actually qualify for those benefits.”

The letter details stressful circumstances where employees are stretched thin in order to keep their stores running, with little support. Because the authors claim that district managers have not been helpful in responding to concerns, they are opting to form a union.

“We refuse to be pawns in a zero-sum game. If we are truly partners, we demand to join you at the bargaining table so that we, too, can have a say in the future of the company that could not run without our labor.”

In response to the Independent’s request for comment, Starbucks spokesperson Jay Go Guasch stated, ​“At Starbucks we believe that our direct relationship as partners is core to the experiences we create in our stores, and we respect our partners rights to have a choice on the topic of unions.

“We are committed to delivering on our promise to offer a bridge to a better future to all Starbucks partners.”

Starbucks has a documented history of union busting and unfair labor practices — with then-CEO Howard Schulz even being called to testify at a congressional hearing on union busting.

This year, three years after the first Starbucks union drive began at a store in Buffalo, New York, Starbucks has begun to cooperate with Starbucks Workers United, which is affiliated with the umbrella union Workers United. Chief Partner Officer Sara Kelly announced Starbucks’ desire to work with the union in a letter addressed to Workers United President Lynne Fox.

The union announced the new unionizing efforts on Wednesday in press releases via public relations agency Berlin Rosen. The press releases included quotes from employees, including Lydia Hunt of the Woodbridge location, who has been a barista for more than six years.

“Starbucks must do better by their workers if they’d like optimal customer satisfaction. You cannot divorce these two from one another. Starbucks’ ​‘third place’ motto must extend to employees,” Hunt is quoted as saying.

Hunt’s co-worker Roush Sindi, a barista of one year, is quoted as saying, ​“I look around and I see a factory with exploited workers, where schedules are made with the priority of minimizing how much is spent paying employees, and maximizing sales. If Starbucks won’t acknowledge that they are nothing without its baristas and treat us accordingly, then we will force them to.”

In Hamden, employee Jamie Santelices said, ​“Unionizing is important to me because the conditions we worked in were miserable. We were constantly understaffed and expected to do the jobs of 3 people each. I am sick of feeling exhausted everyday.”