Olympia Starbucks employees have cast their votes on unionizing. Here are the results
The Starbucks on Cooper Point Road in Olympia voted to unionize on April 29, joining a nationwide movement among the coffee giant’s workers.
The workers at the location voted 19-2 in favor of being represented by Starbucks Workers United, joining a Seattle location in becoming the third and fourth corporate Starbucks stores in the state to be unionized, according to a press release.
These two bring the national total to 43 stores that have voted to unionize. There are more than 230 stores that have petitioned to unionize and are awaiting elections, according to the release.
Madison Barriga, who works at the Cooper Point store, said in the release that the vote is a historical moment for workers’ rights.
“This vote is important to me because I want to build a better workplace for my team and for future Starbucks workers,” she said. “The labor movement will affect us here in Olympia and also the service industry as a whole.”
The release says the Starbucks company hasn’t taken well to organizing efforts and has been intimidating workers, cutting hours and more. So far 19 employees who have been active in organizing efforts have been fired, it says.
Workers United has filed more than 80 unfair labor practice charges against the company, according to the release. One was filed on behalf of the Cooper Point location, alleging the company intimidated employees to get them to vote against the union.
The release says the company started enforcing the dress code more strictly and required employees to sign a “media inquiry” policy that prohibited them from answering questions from reporters. Employees at the location have retaliated through walkouts and attending protests in Seattle.
A representative from the Cooper Point location could not be reached for comment as of 12 p.m. May 3.
“Workers are in need of a higher quality of life,” said employee Norah Shangreaux in the release. “We can’t eat Spotify for dinner. We need higher wages and better benefits. Winning the vote for a union will make that happen.”
This story was originally published May 3, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
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