Port Jefferson Starbucks baristas want to hold union vote
Barista Olivia Donnelly supports unionization efforts at the Starbucks on Main Street in Port Jefferson, where she works, to give employees "a layer of protection against any unfair treatment." Credit: Gregory A. Shemitz
Workers at the Port Jefferson Starbucks filed a petition with the federal government seeking to hold a union election vote in the coming weeks.
The employees at the Starbucks, at 201 Main St., signed union cards with the National Labor Relations Board Monday seeking to hold a union vote. The group is aiming to join the Workers United New York New Jersey Regional Board, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union.
The NLRB requires that workers seeking an election submit union cards or a petition signed by at least 30% of the workers eligible to vote in a union election. Employees at the Port Jefferson shop met that requirement.
Olivia Donnelly, 20, of Setauket, a barista at the location for nearly two years, said the union represents an opportunity to have a real say in how workers are treated.
“It is a way to give partners a say in some of the decisions made by the company,” said Donnelly, an organizer at her store. “It is a layer of protection against any unfair treatment or retaliation.”
Donnelly said a major issue working for the Seattle-based coffee giant has been poor scheduling for employees.
“Mornings are pretty well staffed but as the day goes on the amount of people on the floor dwindle,” Donnelly said. Other workers have seen their weekly hours reduced, she said.
The Port Jefferson store would be the eighth Starbucks on Long Island to unionize if workers vote in favor of joining Workers United. Employees at stores in Farmingville, Westbury, Lynbrook, Massapequa, Wantagh, Old Westbury and Garden City joined the union in 2022.
"At Starbucks we believe that our direct relationship as partners is core to the experiences we create in our stores, and we respect our partners rights to have a choice on the topic of unions," Starbucks spokesperson Rachel Wall said in a statement. "We are committed to delivering on our promise to offer a bridge to a better future to all Starbucks partners."
To date, workers at more than 400 of Starbucks' 9,000 corporate-owned locations in 43 states have unionized since late 2021, according to More Perfect Union, a labor organizing nonprofit. The union has lost 94 elections.
Starbucks said in February it was working on a framework with Workers United to handle contract negotiations at unionized stores.
