The Starbucks location at 18710 E. 39th Street in Independence is another store in Missouri that voted to form a union with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and won their election.
Employees want better working conditions and better pay. According to the union organizer, there were 17 who voted in favor of unionizing and only three who weren't in agreement.
CJ Miller, a barista at the café, said the outcome means workers at that location moved one step closer to forming a bargaining unit to negotiate pay and benefits with their bosses. (Source.)
There are also locations in Kansas that filed allegations of unfair labor practices.
Employees want their voices to be heard. They want negotiated salary increases and better working conditions not only for staff but for the customers too. It goes without saying that better-paid employees create a better working environment which would also trickle down to the customer experience.
The union push comes after a flurry of employees at nearly 200 Starbucks stores across the country have petitioned to form unions. Starbucks Workers United helped the Independence employees organize. (Source.)
According to KMBC News, the employees sent a letter to the CEO of Starbucks outlining the reasons for the decision to unionize. They had common issues as other locations in the Kansas City area with another problem on the list--racial discrimination and the lack of representation.
Click here to see the chart of data statistics of Starbucks stores that have voted to unionize or are already unionized. This site also shows a map of open cases.
According to Nation's Restaurant News, the NLRB filed legal complaints against Starbucks "for allegedly unlawfully terminating three employees and constructively discharging on employee in Kansas City, Mo. and Overland Park, Kan. Stores."
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