Starbucks locations across several states file to unionize over the past week
The labor board received petitions from New York, Michigan, Texas and Georgia
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Nearly a dozen Starbucks locations around the country have filed a petition to unionize over the past week, according to labor board filings.
Since Monday, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) received petitions from 11 locations across New York, Michigan, Texas and Georgia.
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Meanwhile, the Starbucks Workers United, the union seeking to organize, has been pushing workers, otherwise known as partners, around the country to join the effort.
On Friday, the union tweeted out that employees in Minnesota, Pittsburg and Hawaii are joining the growing number of the coffee giant locations pushing to unionize. Earlier this week, they also tweeted out that the union campaign hit the Big Apple.
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The movement intensified after several workers in Memphis were allegedly fired for their unionizing efforts. The employees are accusing the company of "union-busting" and vowing to file a complaint with the labor board, while Starbucks says the decision had nothing to do with media attention or the fact that the workers were seeking representation.
"Memphis workers are calling on partners around the country to support them by organizing more stores across the nation. We are organizing Starbucks partners coast to coast to stand united," the union tweeted.
However, in order to hold an official union election under the supervision of the U.S. National Labor Relations Board, unions need to garner support from at least 30% of workers who are eligible to vote, according to the labor board's policies.
STARBUCKS ACCUSED OF 'UNION-BUSTING' AFTER FIRING SEVERAL WORKERS IN MEMPHIS
As of now, the labor board is in the process of confirming if each location that has filed met the showing of interest in order to proceed.
Last month, after a Starbucks in Atlanta joined the punch, Starbucks told FOX Business that its position on unionizing hasn't changed.
"Starbucks success—past, present, and future—is built on how we partner together, always with Our Mission and Values at our core," Starbucks said in a statement.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SBUX | STARBUCKS CORP. | 98.42 | -0.20 | -0.20% |
In December, a Starbucks store in downtown Buffalo, New York, became the first location to unionize in Starbucks’ 50-year history.
After the vote, the company said it respected the legal process and promised to come to the negotiating table with union employees at its Elmwood Village location in Buffalo "in good faith," but the victory set off a wave of interest in unionization at other Starbucks locations.
Individual stores in Massachusetts, Arizona, Oregon, Illinois, Colorado, Tennessee and Starbucks’ home city of Seattle have petitioned the labor board for union elections.
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Representatives for Starbucks have not immediately responded to FOX Business' request for comment.
The Associated Press and FOX Business' Breck Dumas contributed to this report.