As Starbucks unionizing slows, some strike, others skeptical

Labor organizers hope this will be the year that Starbucks' U.S. workers finally negotiate a union contract. But with bargaining at a standstill and thousands of employees still unconvinced of the union's value, that outcome is uncertain.

A little more than a year after a Starbucks in Buffalo, New York, became the first U.S. store to unionize in decades — touching off a wave of labor actions at other big companies like Amazon and Chipotle — the rush to organize Starbucks stores has slowed.

Since December of 2021, 358 Starbucks stores have petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to hold union elections. Petition activity peaked last March, when 69 stores asked to hold elections. By November, that had fallen to 13. Eleven stores filed petitions last month.

Labor organizers say Starbucks has chilled the effort with hard-nosed tactics, including firing pro-union workers and closing unionized stores. Starbucks has also promised wage increases and other benefits at non-union stores; the company says those perks are subject to bargaining at unionized stores.

But the union drive also faces resistance from Starbucks' own workers. So far, employees have voted to unionize at 274 stores, or 3% of Starbucks’ 9,000 company-owned U.S. locations, according to the labor board. Sixty-three stores have voted not to unionize.

Starbucks barista Jen Langberg said no one at her store in Henderson, Nevada, ever talks about unionizing. She appreciates Starbucks for raising her pay to $15 per hour in August.

“Overall, I’ve only ever had a very positive experience working for Starbucks,” said Langberg, a five-year employee.

Labor organizers say the long wait for Starbucks to negotiate store contracts with Workers United — an offshoot of the Service Employees International Union — is...