Workers at 15 Starbucks locations across the United States announced union organization efforts on Jan. 31, joining a growing unionization wave at the coffee giant. So far, workers at more than 30 Starbucks cafes have filed for union elections with the National Labor Relations Board.

“We want a union to make sure that our grievances are heard and that we have a say in how those grievances are addressed,” said Emma Baldridge, a Starbucks worker fighting for a union at her Kansas City, Missouri, location. “We don’t want to have to fight for months and months about chronic issues, only to have half-solutions implemented that only make our lives more difficult or bring an onslaught of new problems.”

Workers in the movement cited among their grievances feeling unheard by management and needing to work multiple jobs because of low pay.

The unionization drive has already begun to score victories. Two stores in Buffalo, New York, voted to unionize in late 2021 and began collective bargaining with Starbucks early this year.

CNBC, Jan. 28
Kansas City Star, Jan. 31