West Allis Starbucks Workers Want To Unionize

By Isiah Holmes, Wisconsin Examiner

June 15, 2022

Workers at a Starbucks cafe in West Allis have taken a step towards unionization by petitioning the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for an election. The workers, who issued the demand Tuesday morning, are asking for union recognition from CEO Howard Schultz and local management. A large majority of workers at the store, located at Hwy 100 and National Avenue, signed union authorization cards and a petition demanding unionization, according to Workers United.

This would mark the second instance in the Milwaukee-area, and the fifth in Wisconsin, of baristas joining the Starbucks Workers United movement. Workers in hundreds of Starbucks locations across the country have filed for elections and have won representation at more than 100 of them including at a cafe in Oak Creek. Workers in Madison, Monona, and Fitchburg, have also joined the workers’ movement. Separately, Colectivo cafe workers in the Riverwest neighborhood of Milwaukee unionized their store this year.

In a letter signed by a majority of the West Allis Starbuck store’s workers to CEO Kevin Johnson, the staff noted they’re not going to let the matter go. “Our desire to unionize goes beyond our personal gain, beyond our store, and even beyond our company,” it reads. “The standard business model for multi-billion dollar corporations allowed for CEO’s to make over 300 times that of the average worker. And though Starbucks offers a wage over the average amount for the American worker, this amount is not enough. The minimum wage, if adjusted for productivity, should be over $20 per hour. Partners are struggling to get by, and the company has the means to give us what we deserve.”

Workers United International Vice President Kathy Hanshew voiced her support for the workers. “Starbucks is a multimillion dollar corporation that tries to pride itself on working in partnership with its employees, all while silencing the workers and denying them their right to union representation and a collective voice,” said Hanshew. “Starbucks calls its employees ‘partners’, but it is abundantly clear that this so-called partnership is one of convenience for the company, that leaves many employee concerns unheard. It is time for Starbucks to do the right thing, acknowledge the voice of their ‘partners’, and allow their workers to unionize without interference.”

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