Plover Starbucks Follows Oak Creek In WI Starbucks Unionization

WISCONSIN — Workers at a second Wisconsin Starbucks coffee shop submitted their bid for union representation on Monday, following a nationwide wave of baristas and coffee shop workers demanding representation in the chain.

Coffee shop employees at the McDill Crossroads location in Plover, a 40-minute drive south of Wausau, signed union authorization cards for Starbucks Workers United and the Chicago and Midwest Regional Joint Board of Workers United, Wisconsin AFL-CIO said in a statement.

The employees said that the chain's failure to keep promises drove their push for unionization.

"This is our lives, our well-being and happiness," barista Izzie Moritz said in a statement. "Our campaign is a symbol of Starbucks' failure to create the environment they advertise to the world about their work practices and promises. Our store is going to fight to uphold those promises."

With the addition of the Plover location, employees at 103 Starbucks stores have filed petitions with the National Labor Relations Board, the international labor union Workers United said in a statement.

Stagnant wages, strenuous working conditions and few benefits, exasperated by the COVID-19 pandemic, have driven unionization efforts at other fast food chains like Chipotle and McDonalds, Eater reported.

Starbucks hasn't made a public statement about the efforts, but union officials said the company has discouraged the practice and has engaged in union-busting efforts.

Plover's bid follows a unionization effort in Oak Creek, where employees sent a letter to CEO Kevin Johnson demanding recognition on Feb. 11.

See Also: Oak Creek Starbucks Workers Make Bid For First Union In Wisconsin