Closely watched union vote at US Starbucks nears a climax

Buffalo, Dec 9 (AFP/APP):The ballots have been cast and employees of three Starbucks cafes in New York state will learn Thursday whether they have created the first unions at outlets owned by the retail coffee giant in the United States.

At the coffee chain’s shop on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, there was no obvious sign of the tug-of-war in the wake of the fledgling union drive and a fierce pushback by management that is drawing national attention.
As he exited the cafe into a winter chill, Steve Boyd, a 60-year old attorney, said he had heard about the vote on the news.

“I see them every morning, they are sort of part of my day and they should have a living wage,” Boyd said.

“All across the US, businesses are complaining that they can’t find people to work, and the best way to find people to work is to give them fair wages, fair working conditions,” Boyd said. “So if unionizing supports this, then I support these people.”

Under the banner of “Starbucks Workers United,” about 50 employees at cafes in this city near the Canadian border launched the campaign in late August.

Staff at the trio of Starbucks cafes had until Wednesday to return their ballots, which were mailed out mid-November.

A count is expected to commence at 1800 GMT on Thursday under the purview of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

A “yes” vote might have a knock-on effect — not just for Starbucks, but for other US firms like Amazon who are fighting similar efforts by workers to organize.

The campaign shows how workers are becoming more assertive at a time when tight labor markets have given employees more clout, said Cedric de Leon, a labor expert at University of Massachusetts Amherst.
“The bargaining power of workers is very high at the moment,” de Leon told AFP.

There have been high-profile actions at other companies, such as a five-week strike at tractor maker John Deere & Co. earlier this fall.

And some 4.2 million Americans left their jobs in October, part of a phenomenon dubbed “The Great Resignation” that has added to the tightness in labor markets.