(Updated 1/31/25 with a statement from Starbucks.)
“I’d like a double-shot of worker justice, please!”
Employees at the Town of Ulster Starbucks near Kingston have voted in favor of unionizing, joining a growing movement among baristas nationwide seeking better working conditions.
The 12-4 vote at the Massa Drive location marks it as the first store in the Hudson Valley to join the unionization wave, aligning with more than 11,000 Starbucks workers across the country advocating for improved wages, equitable treatment, and workplace protections.
It’s all part of the broader campaign spearheaded by Starbucks Workers United (SWU), a union advocating for key protections such as fair scheduling, living wages, and gender and racial equity. SWU, which now represents employees at 540 stores, has been addressing widespread concerns over low wages, inadequate staffing, and other systemic issues within the company.
The vote comes in the wake of the largest strike in Starbucks history, which took place on Christmas Eve and involved over 5,000 workers at 300 stores nationwide. The strike led to the temporary closure of 170 Starbucks locations.
Despite successfully unionizing, workers at the Massa Drive store now face the challenge of negotiating a contract, a process that has proven difficult for other unionized locations. Many stores have encountered prolonged delays in reaching agreements, with union representatives citing company resistance as a contributing factor.
Starbucks responds
A Starbucks representative reached out to HV1 to clarify the company’s stance on the unionization trend, asking to include the following quotes and to attribute them to Starbucks Spokesperson Phil Gee:
“At Starbucks we believe that our direct relationship as partners is core to the experiences we create in our stores, and we respect our partners rights to have a choice on the topic of unions.”
“We are committed to delivering on our promise to offer a bridge to a better future to all Starbucks partners.”
The email from Starbucks also contained a plethora of “background information” on the company’s involvement in the unionization negotiations, summarized below:
Following the unionization vote, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) must certify the outcome of the union representation election, after which Workers United will select a bargaining representative and send Starbucks an initial bargaining demand. Once the demand is received, Starbucks will coordinate with the union representative to schedule a first in-person bargaining session, where ground rules for negotiations will be established. The process will then involve multiple bargaining sessions during which both parties exchange and refine proposals to reach an agreement on specific contract terms. If all issues are resolved, a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) will be drafted and presented to store partners for ratification. If approved, the CBA will govern terms at the store for the duration of the agreement.
On December 8, 2024 Starbucks Chief Partner Officer Sara Kelly sent a letter to Workers United President Lynne Fox proposing a path forward to resume productive contract negotiations. The company expressed its commitment to respectful, collaborative bargaining aimed at reaching contracts in the coming year. To enhance transparency, Starbucks introduced a bargaining status lookup tool, which provides weekly updates on union-related negotiations for the 4% of U.S. stores represented by a union, including details on past and upcoming sessions.
Join the family! 
