A second Starbucks store in the Buffalo, NY, area gained approval to form a union on Monday, the latest sign of an intensifying labor push at the coffeehouse chain. The National Labor Relations Board certified the workers’ 15-9 vote in favor of unionization at a second Starbucks location in the Buffalo suburb of Cheektowaga. It is the second location among more than 8,000 company-owned stores to form a union. The outcome was initially unclear when the vote was tallied on Dec. 9. Labor officials reached a final decision after siding with the union’s claim that some votes should be deemed ineligible. Starbucks has 10 days to appeal the decision before it becomes final. A Starbucks spokesperson said the company is evaluating its options. The Starbucks workers in Cheektowaga voted for representation through Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union. “Finally, the partners feel we have a voice at our workplace — this is an emotional day for all partners here who have fought so hard to make our voices heard in the work we do,” Lexi Rizzo, identified as a shift supervisor at the second unionized Starbucks store, said in a statement distributed by Workers United. “Now we’re asking the same thing Elmwood is asking — we want a fair contract and most importantly we demand that Starbucks stop their union-busting in Buffalo and across the nation immediately,” she added. The Cheektowaga store gained certification weeks after workers at the Elmwood Starbucks store in Buffalo established the first-ever unionized store. Union workers at the Elmwood store staged a walkout last week, citing “unsafe working conditions” due to an ongoing COVID-19 case surge, though they returned to work on Monday. Starbucks denied the union’s claims of unsafe conditions. The unionization push at some Starbucks stores has drawn national attention in recent weeks, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) among those who have expressed solidarity with the workers. Labor organizing efforts are underway at individual Starbucks stores in several states, including Arizona, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Washington. New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, congratulated workers at the second Buffalo-area store for the unionization effort. “I congratulate Starbucks employees in Buffalo for now successfully unionizing two locations in the area, and building an undeniable movement in the process,” James said in a statement. “I trust that we will continue to see more successful organization efforts throughout the country, and I will continue to stand with workers in this important fight.”
