BUFFALO, N.Y. — Starbucks Workers United has been certified by the National Labor Relations Board as the sole bargaining agent for workers at the Starbucks on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo.
Workers there voted to unionize last week. This location is the first corporate owned Starbucks store to unionize in the country.
"We don't want to fight Starbucks - we're asking them to turn over a new leaf. We're asking them to drop this anti-union campaign and end this union busting. We have to ask, why are abusive out-of-state 'support' managers still in our Buffalo community? On the day of the election we asked Starbucks to sign a set of principles. Those principles mean Starbucks would recognize our vote and sit down to negotiate a contract that both the partners and Starbucks can be proud of. We hope Starbucks takes this opportunity to sign the agreement, respect all of their partners' right to organize, and sit down with their partners at the bargaining table.” said Jaz Brisack, a leader at the Elmwood store.
The certification means that Starbucks must recognize Starbucks Workers United as the representative for workers at the Elmwood Avenue store.
“I know so many of us are struggling to recognize the original company we started working for. Starbucks was supposed to be a company founded on nurturing the human spirit and yet it’s clear they spared no expense to try to stop the movement in Buffalo - but today was a big step forward. Our union is certified and we're offering an olive branch to Starbucks. We're asking them to put the past behind us, to sit down at the bargaining table to show the world they're ready to bargain with their partners,” said Michelle Eisen, another leader at the unionized Elmwood location.
Starbucks on Camp Road in Hamburg and on Genesee Street in Cheektowaga also held a vote looking to unionize, but came up short.
There are still some challenged ballots that could change the result at the Cheektowaga store, and the union has also filed objections with the National Labor Relations Board.