Starbucks workers at a Buffalo store voted to form a union

• Starbucks employees at one Buffalo, New York store voted to unionize on Thursday.
• It's the first company-owned US Starbucks store to vote to become unionized.

Starbucks workers at a store in Buffalo, New York have voted to form a union, which is a first for the coffee giant's company-owned stores in the US. A second location voted no, and the third is undergoing further review.

The employees at the Elmwood Ave location voted 19 to eight in favor of forming a union, according to the official count by National Labor Relations Board officials on Thursday. The unionization vote failed to pass at the second location by a vote of 12 to eight, though the lawyer for the union indicated a possible future challenge over votes he says were not counted. At the third location, yes votes were leading 15 to nine, but the NLRB was unable to call the election because of ballots challenged by the union and Starbucks.

Workers at the stores first announced their intentions to form a union in August, citing a "perfect storm" of understaffing and overwork, exacerbated by the pandemic. Organizers hope to eventually represent all 20 stores in the Buffalo area, though this vote only covers three locations. Each store voted separately.

Ahead of voting in the Buffalo area stores, Starbucks argued that the eligible units should contain at least 20 stores around Buffalo, while the organization of workers, Starbucks Workers United, argued that each location was its own individual unit. The NLRB ruled in favor of Starbucks Workers United, and three more stores have since filed to hold their own elections.

Starbucks maintains that its workers do not need a union.

"While Starbucks respects the free choice of our partners, we firmly believe that our work environment, coupled with our outstanding compensation and benefits, makes unions unnecessary at Starbucks," a spokesperson previously told Insider. "We respect our partners' right to organize but believe that they would not find it necessary given our pro-partner environment."

Workers involved in the union effort have said that their organizing is actually because they like working at Starbucks.

"It's a positive thing, we want to make good changes," Alexis Rizzo, a shift supervisor who has worked at Starbucks for six years, previously told Insider. The group has received support from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders.

The first three unionized stores could soon be joined by others, as a location in Mesa, Arizona is petitioning for its own union election.

This story is developing...

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