A local Austin Starbucks made history last Friday by becoming the first Starbucks in the Lone Star State to unionize. The 45th and Lamar location officially won unionization by a 10-1 vote, securing a historic victory for the Texas labor movement.
This location is now an official member of Starbucks Workers United, representing various employee interests ranging from employee management, wage negotiations, worker hours, and employment conditions. This momentous achievement came after the 45th and Lamar location petitioned for unionization in March, joining over 150+ petitions filled nationally.
In a letter addressed to Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, the employees expressed their desire for union membership:
“We want to be able to bring our best selves forward in order to serve our wonderful and diverse neighborhood with energy and compassion. In order to do so, we feel that our voices need to be heard before the inevitable burnout of our hard-working partners.”
Union organizers, like those at the 45th and Lamar Starbucks, formed a union not only for economic equality, but for worker dignity. Too often laborers, especially women, immigrants, and people of color, are targeted and harassed in the workplace by coworkers, managers, and unfair policies. However, unionizing garners worker solidarity, securing the worker’s dignity and their legal rights as employees.
An outstanding member from UNITE HERE International Union, Nancy Carrasco, has witnessed the unequal treatment of workers in the service industry and used unionization to restore individuals’ faith and security. When her fellow co-worker was wrongly criticized for speaking Spanish at work, Nancy stepped in, reassuring her coworker of her legal right to speak their native language. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNITE HERE members, including Nancy, ensured that their members had continual food access and health care even during uncertain and wavering economic conditions.
The power of worker solidarity and organizing allowed Nancy and her co-workers to experience secured working conditions, benefits, and dignity in their work. That is the hidden power behind unionization. However, the fight for worker dignity and solidarity for all Starbucks employees is far from over. With union membership, workers and laborers earn a seat at the bargaining table, to insist upon their guaranteed safety, dignity, and respect.
Fortunately, the community response to unionization has been tremendously supportive—from an out-pour of online praise to in-store visits, with community leaders celebrating their success. Individuals such as Greg Casar, former Austin City Council member and current Democratic nominee for Texas Congressional District 35, have shared their support, calling the unionization a huge win that will inspire a wave unionization throughout the state.
However, Starbucks has historically not welcomed the idea of unionization. In fact, when two Buffalo, NY locations filed for unionization, Starbucks responded by sending a clear anti-union email telling employees to vote no. The coffee giant had similar sentiments for the unionization of the 45th and Lamar Starbucks, saying,”… we are better together as partners without a union between us, and that conviction has not changed…”
Despite Starbucks’ anti-union position, Starbucks employees possess the legal right to form a union under the National Labor Relations Act. Additionally, Texas is a “right-to-work” state, meaning employees can freely decide whether to join a labor union. Texas also has an “employment-at-will” policy where employers can fire employees for any reason at any time unless it violates federal protections based on race, gender, or age.
However, this “fire-at-will” policy can and has been used to target union organizers. Reports from KUT stated that Austin union supporters recalled a staff supervisor being fired for clocking in a minute late and having dress code violations. These employment rules were reportedly unenforced at this Starbucks location prior to their unionization efforts.
This is the tip of the iceberg of Starbucks’ retaliation, as the company has gone beyond cutting worker hours or firing employees; they are now closing unionized stores. In Ithaca, N.Y., a Starbucks store is closing just one week after the employees voted to unionize; the union organizers are calling this an “illegal move of retaliation,” reported by NPR. However Starbucks responded, stating this decision is unrelated to its employees’ unionization efforts, although union supporters would disagree.
The achievement of unionization by the 45th and Lamar location is an example of how worker solidarity can achieve community success and hopefully won’t be the last location in Texas to do so. The West Campus Starbucks, on 24th and Nueces, is holding its union vote this Friday, potentially becoming the second unionized Starbucks in the Lone Star State.