Oceanside Starbucks Workers Latest To Join Union

OCEANSIDE, NY — Workers at a Starbucks in Oceanside have voted to join a union, becoming the 10th store in Nassau County to join Starbucks Workers United.

The vote was 15-5 on Thursday, in favor of unionizing, Starbucks Workers United said.

The Long Beach Road coffee shop joins the growing list of Starbucks across the island and the country to unionize, as the baristas win workplace protections on core issues like living wages, respect racial and gender equity, and fair scheduling and staffing.

“My coworkers and I are happy to announce we’re joining Starbucks Workers United in fighting for better conditions and treatment at Starbucks. It’s exciting to be joining over 600 other stores in supporting the people who actually keep the stores running,” said Eli McClean, a barista at the Oceanside location for three years. “I voted for the union because I’ve seen first hand how the company will disregard concerns and issues raised by baristas, especially when it concerns customers, and I felt our best option was to join a union that's committed to fighting for our respect and treatment.”

That treatment led to workers at a Westbury location three years ago to become the first to vote in favor of a union. The Gallery at Westbury Plaza would follow just two weeks later.

Employees previously unionized at Starbucks shops in Garden City, Levittown, Lynbrook, Massapequa, Wantagh, Westbury.

Patch attempted to get a comment from Starbucks.

Nationally, more than 600 Starbucks stores representing over 10,000 workers have unionized, Starbucks Workers United said.