Employees at a Cuyahoga Falls Starbucks filed a petition Tuesday to hold a union election, one of 18 locations nationwide to do so this week.
The location, on Howe Avenue, is the first in Greater Akron to attempt unionization, said Jacob Welsh, a field organizer with Workers United. Welsh said there are nearly 20 unionized Starbucks locations across Ohio, including nine around Cleveland.
The Howe Avenue location petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for a vote, which is likely to take place later this month.
“Howe feels very confident they’ll be able to pull it off,” Welsh said.
In fact, union organizer Rock Lee said 15 of the 16 eligible employees signed union cards — with the one who declined to do so choosing not to because of an expected transfer. Now, there are 18 eligible staffers.
Why employees at a Cuyahoga Falls Starbucks are considering unionization
Lee and union organizer Nick Hillier said a decision last winter to increase the number of required hours for employees to keep their jobs led to the union push. The store lost five employees who weren’t able to open up their schedules, Hillier said, something that felt particularly difficult around the holidays.
At the same time, Lee said, workers said there weren’t enough employees on the floor to serve customers. Lee called the need for expanded hours “an insane ask,” since many baristas are college students or have other jobs.
“It’s really just a chance for us to speak up and have our voices be heard,” they said. “We’re people, too. You can’t treat us like this.”
Welsh said the number of filings nationwide shows the momentum of the union, which recently had a negotiating session with Starbucks leadership where the group “made a lot of progress.”
Starbucks spokesperson responds
Jay Go Guasch, a spokesperson for Starbucks, said in a statement that the company is committed to helping create a better future for all of the company’s partners.
The company respects that employees “have a choice on the topic of unions,” the statement said.
Hillier said he was aware of some retaliation for union organizing, but none at the Howe Avenue store. As the son of a union member, he said he had long been a fan of unions and wanted to be involved in the union push at Starbucks since he began working there — in late 2022.
“I didn’t want to show up and immediately start agitating,” he said.
Still, Hillier said the unionization effort gives him hope for his future and the future of the the nation.
Unionization across Ohio?
Major issues across stores include staffing and scheduling concerns, including stores that are understaffed while workers have trouble getting the hours they need to to pay their bills, Welsh said. He also said there can be health and safety issues in stores, including from both the heating of liquids and from problematic customers.
Nationwide, more than 440 Starbucks locations representing more than 10,500 baristas have so far joined the union, according to Starbucks Workers United.
In a letter to Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan from employees at all 18 stores that filed for a vote this week, workers said they were united through their “demand for higher wages, fair and consistent scheduling, improved benefits, and a safe and dignified workplace.”
Lee said once the vote is held at Howe Avenue, team members are interested in helping others unionize across Ohio.
“Most people who work fast food jobs don’t want to put in the effort” because they don’t see those jobs as long-term options, they said. “I think we should work to make it a place you can stick around.”
