New Orleans Starbucks to become first in Louisiana to unionize
Workers said they wanted to form a union because of regular shifts where they were overworked and understaffed
A Starbucks location in New Orleans, Louisiana, will unionize following a vote from the store's employees, making it the first Starbucks in the state to form a union.
Employees voted 11-1 in favor of joining Workers United, union organizers told WWNO-FM. Two ballots were challenged.
FILE - Starbucks employees and supporters react as votes are read during a union-election watch party on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Joshua Bessex, File / AP Images)
The vote, which took place Friday and Saturday, comes after employees at a Birmingham, Alabama, Starbucks made history last month as the first location in its state to unionize after a 27-1 vote.
Workers at the New Orleans café wanted to form a union because of regular shifts where they said they were overworked and understaffed.
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"I’m feeling amazing," Barista Caitlyn Pierce told the local outlet. "This is something we worked so hard for and it’s just great to finally get here."
Union campaign lead organizer Billie Nyx was fired in May for closing the store early without permission from upper management. Nyx is challenging the termination, claiming that it was in retaliation for the unionization effort.
Nyx was present for the result of the labor vote.
"I feel really incredible right now," Nyx said after notifying former coworkers of the final tally. "Regardless of everything, it just solidifies that whenever I do return to my job… I'll be coming back to a unionized store and I'll get to enjoy the fruits of my labor."
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FILE- This Dec. 13, 2018, file photo shows a sign for a Starbucks Coffee shop in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File / AP Newsroom)
Starbucks has opposed employees' efforts to unionize, arguing that its stores function best when the company works directly with its employees. The company announced last month that only non-union employees would receive new benefits, including expanded training, improved sick leave and credit card tipping.
"We do not have the same freedom to make these improvements at locations that have a union or where union organizing is underway," Starbucks interim CEO Howard Schultz said on a conference call with shareholders in early May.
The company said in a statement Sunday it was "listening and learning" and that it respects its workers' "right to organize." Starbucks did not indicate in its statement whether it would challenge the union vote.
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Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz speaks during the company's annual shareholder's meeting in Seattle, Washington March 18, 2015. (REUTERS/David Ryder)
The newly-unionized employees will now wait to see if Starbucks challenges the vote. They will then negotiate a contract with the company, which could take years to complete and can potentially lead to a worker strike.
Nyx said the workers will meet with their lawyer to solidify specific demands for contract negotiations.
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Last year, a Starbucks in Buffalo, New York, became the first location in the country to unionize.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.