Starbucks employees asking to unionize at 3 Buffalo-area cafes

Workers not wanting to face reprisals amidst union efforts

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Workers at three Starbucks coffee shops in the Buffalo area filed petitions Monday with the National Labor Relations Board asking for a vote on union representation, the latest development in a nationwide, pandemic-era reckoning on wages and working conditions.

Employees at the stores told The New York Times they were seeking to organize under the Starbucks Workers United banner to address chronic problems such as understaffing and insufficient training.

An organizing committee of four-dozen workers sent a letter last week to Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson asking for assurance that employees won’t face reprisals.

In a statement, the company said: “We respect our partners’ right to organize but believe that they would not find it necessary given our pro-partner environment.”