Manhattan Starbucks votes for union, buoying LI organizers

A Starbucks location in Chelsea has become the first in New York City to unionize after a successful union vote,  and labor organizers said the result makes them more optimistic that their efforts at several Long Island locations will succeed.

The Starbucks Reserve Roastery, on Ninth Avenue in Manhattan, voted 46-36 to unionize Friday with the Workers United New York New Jersey Regional Board, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union.

Two stores on Long Island — one in Great Neck and another in Massapequa — are scheduled to begin mail-in voting Friday. A third Island location, in Farmingville, is currently in the process of gathering employee signatures to officially petition for a union vote.

"It gives us a lot of hope," said Joselyn Chuquillanqui, 27, one of the organizers behind the Great Neck shop’s union push.

"To see them all gathered together and succeed in winning their union vote has really made us more confident," Chuquillanqui said. "I think we're ready to go down the same path as the Roastery."

The Island stores have until April 29 to complete their election, which is being overseen by the National Labor Relations Board. 

The Roastery, a large, three-story tourist spot where coffee is roasted and ground on site, is one of several stores  in the metro area to push for a union following successful elections at two Starbucks in Buffalo last fall and four stores elsewhere since.

The coffee chain's  shops at Astor Place in Manhattan, Astoria, Queens, and Ceasar's Bay in Brooklyn are all gearing up for upcoming union votes. 

More than 180 stores among 9,000 company-owned locations throughout the country have begun pushing for a union since Buffalo’s successful vote, according to Workers United.

The increased union activity comes at a pivotal point for the company and its relationship with employees.

Howard Schultz, the chain's longtime leader, returned as Starbuck's interim CEO Monday. The company's previous CEO, Kevin Johnson, announced his retirement March 16.

Schultz, who purchased the company in 1987 and led it for over 30 years, said his first major action as interim CEO will be suspending Starbucks' share buyback program, pushing billions of dollars into the company instead.

“This decision will allow us to invest more profit into our people and our stores — the only way to create long-term value for all stakeholders,” Schultz said in an open letter to employees on Starbucks' website.

Schultz's announcement indicates that the company is feeling pressure from employees, many of whom have publicly complained about understaffed stores, lagging pay and COVID safety issues.

The Roastery vote came as Amazon warehouse workers on Staten Island also voted to unionize.

That vote, announced Friday,  marks the first time a union push has been successful in the history of the online retail giant.

With AP