West Hartford Starbucks Employees Approve Union

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Employees at the Corbin's Corner Starbucks have voted to unionize, making the West Hartford coffee shop the first unionized Starbucks in the state.

Workers voted 13-3 to join Starbucks Workers United, the coffee chain's union, data from the National Labor Relations Board shows. Five workers declined to vote.

"We're pretty ecstatic," employee and union organizer Kuzco Gong told CT Insider.

The workers will enter into collective bargaining at the national level, CT Insider said.

But at the Corbin's Corner shop, they're pushing for higher wages, more consistent COVID-19 policies and stable hours, workers said in a letter when they announced their union campaign in April.

"A good portion of our staff has had to pick up second or even third jobs just to make ends meet," the letter, addressed to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, reads. "We are constantly cutting hours, yet understaffed at peak times, constantly hiring new partners, while present partners struggle to meet the minimum 20 hours a week for benefits."

In a statement to the Hartford Courant, a Starbucks representative said the company "will respect the process and will bargain in good faith guided by our principles… We hope that the union does the same."

Related:

• Union Movement Afloat At West Hartford Starbucks: Report
• Starbucks Unionization Group Touting Efforts In West Hartford
• West Hartford Starbucks Sets Union Vote Date: Report