US Starbucks Workers Score Union Breakthrough

Workers at a Starbucks cafe in Buffalo, New York have voted to establish the first union at one of the coffee chain's company-owned shops in the United States.

There were hugs and cries of joy at the union office as the campaign won a decisive majority on Thursday at the company's Elmwood Avenue cafe in northern New York state.

"Starbucks made it almost impossible for us to win," said Starbucks employee Casey Moore, who backed the union. "We are now the first union Starbucks store in the United States. It feels like we're on top of the world!"

But moments later, the mood became more subdued after officials with the National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) announced that a majority at a second Buffalo-area cafe voted against the union. The election at a third Starbucks had still not been called in a process held via Zoom and orchestrated by the NLRB.

Under the banner of "Starbucks Workers United," about 50 employees at cafes in this city near the Canadian border launched the campaign in late August.

A "yes" vote might have a knock-on effect – not just for Starbucks, but for other US firms like Amazon who are fighting similar efforts by workers to organise.

Earlier Thursday, Steve Boyd, a 60-year-old attorney, expressed support for the workers as he exited the Elmwood Avenue location with his daily fix.

"I see them every morning, they are sort of part of my day and they should have a living wage," Boyd said.

"All across the US, businesses are complaining that they can't find people to work, and the best way to find people to work is to give them fair wages, fair working conditions," Boyd said. "So if unionising supports this, then I support these people."

The campaign shows how workers are becoming more assertive at a time when tight labour markets have given employees more clout, said Cedric de Leon, a labour expert at University of Massachusetts Amherst.

"The bargaining power of workers is very high at the moment," de Leon said.

There have been high-profile actions at other companies, such as a five-week strike at tractor maker John Deere & Co earlier this fall.

And some 4.2 million Americans left their jobs in October, part of a phenomenon dubbed "The Great Resignation" that has added to the tightness in labour markets. (AFP)