These Bellingham employees state their case on why a union would benefit Starbucks
The decision to request a vote on forming a union at the largest coffee company in the world was a difficult choice for a group of Bellingham employees, but it’s one they think will benefit Starbucks and future workers.
The employees at the Starbucks store on Iowa Street have received a steady stream of support from their drive-through customers since they announced their intention on Friday, April 15, to hold a union election vote. The announcement was made on Twitter in a letter signed by 11 employees and posted by Workers United, which is affiliated with the Service Employees International Union, and Starbucks Workers United.
The group is following what has been a trend across the country: At least 11 Starbucks locations in Washington state have submitted petitions for elections, including two Seattle locations that voted to form a union.
While the decision was their own, they did draw inspiration from seeing it happen at other stores, including Buffalo, New York, said Shannon Butler, one of the employees at the drive-through-only store near Interstate 5. The Starbucks store in Buffalo unionized in December, the first in the company’s history.
“We really felt it was time to advocate for ourselves,” Butler said in an interview with The Bellingham Herald.
All four Bellingham employees interviewed for this story said they enjoy working for the company, but felt their voices were not being heard. The Iowa Street location has about 30 employees.
“We’ve had different ways to communicate (with management), but we’re doing it as individuals,” said employee Caroline Bonner. “I’ve been in a union and I found it benefits workers and companies alike. We’re not looking to break Starbucks.”
Company response
In an email to The Herald, an unnamed Starbucks spokesperson said the company has been clear in its belief that everyone is better as partners without a union in the middle and that conviction has not changed.
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has also expressed a preference to working with employees, which the company refers to as partners. In a speech posted on the company’s website, he noted a plan to move forward to work with all Starbucks employees and not be “distracted by the different vision being put forward by union organizers at some Starbucks stores.”
“And while not all the partners supporting unionization are colluding with outside union forces, the critical point is that I do not believe conflict, division and dissension — which has been a focus of union organizing — benefits Starbucks or our partners.”
Rossann Williams, executive vice president for the company and president of the North America division, said in her post to employees after the Buffalo vote that they do respect the employees’ right to organize.
“The vote outcomes will not change our shared purpose or how we will show up for each other. … We will keep listening, we will keep connecting and we will keep being in service of one another because that’s what we’ve always done and what it means to be partner.”
In the week following their announcement, Bonner said the Bellingham workers have not received much of a response from the company.
“We were not sure what to expect,” Bonner said as they continue to move toward a vote.
Coming together
The employees at the Iowa Street Starbucks store came together during what was a challenging time over the winter. With the omicron variant of COVID-19 surging across Whatcom County, businesses had to quickly adjust to changing restrictions and situations.
The manager at the Iowa Street Starbucks space had resigned and the position was left open for several months, according to the employees in their letter posted on Twitter. That left the employees with more responsibility during the period.
“We felt empowered after we went through that,” said employee Hailey Cribbs, adding that the experience resulted in being able to help new employees learn the ropes.
The experience also got them thinking about how changes could help improve the work environment for future employees, which they say will lead to even better customer experiences.
“At the end of the day, we still want to make your coffee as best we can,” said employee Jessica von Volkli.
This story was originally published April 25, 2022 at 11:48 AM.
