Starbucks staff at two Boston cafes file for union election after win in Buffalo

Starbucks baristas at two Boston cafes filed for union elections on Monday, turning into the espresso big’s third U.S. market this yr to prepare.

“We see unions as one of the best ways to make Starbucks a spot to have a sustainable profession and a real partnership,” the organizing committees for the Commonwealth Avenue and Harvard Road cafes in Boston wrote in a letter to Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson.

It comes after a historic win for Starbucks staff final week, when staff at one Buffalo cafe voted to kind the primary union for baristas who work at a company-owned location underneath Employees United New York, a department of the Service Staff Worldwide Union. One other Buffalo cafe is ready to listen to the outcomes of its union election as a result of challenged ballots, whereas a 3rd voted towards unionizing.

Three extra Buffalo-area places have filed for elections, in addition to a restaurant in Mesa, Arizona. Johnson stated on CNBC’s “Mad Cash with Jim Cramer” on Nov. 7 that he anticipated a handful extra shops to prepare.

The union push has confronted robust opposition from Starbucks administration. In Buffalo and Mesa, the corporate has despatched executives to places which are searching for to unionize, a transfer that Starbucks Employees United has referred to as “union busting.” The corporate has denied allegations that it was attempting to intimidate staff. Forward of the poll rely in Buffalo, the espresso chain additionally sought to open the election as much as all 20 places out there — a transfer that usually favors the employer — and delay the rely, though the Nationwide Labor Relations Board sided with staff.

Starbucks didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from CNBC.

Shares of Starbucks had been down lower than 1% in premarket buying and selling. The inventory has risen 7% this yr, giving the corporate a market worth of $135 billion.