Summit Starbucks Workers Vote 7-3 In Favor Of Unionizing

SUMMIT, NJ — Summit's Starbucks is the second unionized location for the coffee company in all of New Jersey.

Workers at the store on Beechwood Road voted 7-3 to unionize on Monday.

The Summit workers followed in the footsteps of Starbucks employees in Hopewell, which was the first store to unionize in the state on April 25.

Read More: Mercer County Starbucks Becomes First To Unionize In NJ

Starbucks employees in Hamilton also voted 8-3 in favor of being represented by Workers United on Monday.

Gov. Phil Murphy and AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler joined workers from United Food and Commercial Workers Local 360's Cannabis Division and Starbucks employees, who recently elected to be represented by Workers United, for a roundtable discussion on Tuesday morning.

Various workers spoke about why they recently voted to join a union and why joining a union is important for workers in emerging industries.

Murphy said he plans to continue to crack down on employers who stand in the way of workers' ability to organize or even prevent workers from receiving adequate wages and benefits.

"When workers come together under the union banner, it's not just about creating a better day for themselves and their colleagues in the workplace, but for their families and their colleagues' families," Murphy said.

A Starbucks employee from the Hamilton Starbucks, Bella, spoke briefly at the roundtable. She said she has been working at Starbucks for over 20 years and is proud that her store voted to unionize.

"I realized I'd be risking my job by supporting this union, but that's how important it is to me, and that's how important Starbucks is to me," she said. "Starbucks Workers United finally gives us a voice again. It feels like we actually have a say in the direction of the company."

Patch reached out to the manager at Summit Starbucks, but she declined to comment on the recent vote.

The Summit location is located on 2 Beachwood Road.

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