Starbucks Shop in Coffee Giant’s Hometown Joins Union Effort

(Bloomberg) -- Workers at a Starbucks Corp. store in Seattle, the coffee giant’s hometown, say they aim to unionize, adding momentum to the organizing efforts at the chain.

“We believe that partnership comes with a weight and responsibility on all sides, one that can only be fulfilled with equal power and accountability,” the workers said in a letter to Chief Executive Officer Kevin Johnson. “We are organizing a union because we believe the best way to uphold our end of the partnership is by creating a voice for ourselves.”

A Starbucks representative pointed to a recent letter by Rossann Williams, the coffee chain’s executive vice president for North America, saying that the company values working directly with its employees. “From the beginning, we’ve been clear in our belief that we do not want a union between us as partners, and that conviction has not changed,” Williams said.

Earlier this month, Starbucks employees successfully voted to unionize a store in Buffalo, New York -- marking the company’s first union location. Attempts to organize are being made at a handful of other locations. The company has agreed to negotiate with newly formed union.

Starbucks shares rose 1.3% at 10:02 a.m. Tuesday in New York.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.