Employees at the Starbucks on Shelburne Road in South Burlington have notified the company of their intent to form a union, and hope workers at other store locations in Vermont will follow their lead.
The South Burlington store could become the first unionized Starbucks location in the state. It joins a nationwide unionization push at the coffee chain that began last year in Buffalo, New York and has . Employees are seeking higher wages, more consistent schedules, better training for new workers and clearer paths to advance within the company.
Happy May Day from our partners in South Burlington, VT, who have become the first store in the state to file for a union election!
— SBWorkersUnited (@SBWorkersUnited)
Gaz Romp, a barista who helped organize the union effort, said they've had trouble affording housing in the Burlington area on their current salary. Romp said that led them to talk with their coworkers over Discord, an online messaging platform, about forming a union.
Romp and a majority of their nearly 20 coworkers signed union cards, and are now waiting .
鈥淲e鈥檙e optimistic, we鈥檙e very confident,鈥� Romp said in an interview with VPR. 鈥淎t the same time, we鈥檙e doing this because we love working at Starbucks.鈥�
Company leadership has opposed the nationwide union push, though Starbucks recently , and raising wages for employees with at least two years of experience by 5%.
鈥淲e appreciate any help, but we鈥檙e still unionizing,鈥� Romp said with a laugh. 鈥淲e're still going to do that, because we believe firmly that a collective workforce can negotiate way more fairly with the second-largest fast food company on earth."
In a statement, a Starbucks spokesperson said they believe the company and its employees are 鈥渂etter together as partners, without a union between us.鈥� The spokesperson adds the company respects workers鈥� right to organize, 鈥渁nd are committed to following the NLRB process.鈥�
The Shelburne Road store is one of 11 Starbucks location in Vermont, some of which are company-owned, while others are licensed to other owners. Romp said they hope employees at other Starbucks locations will also take steps to organize.
"I believe that every store in our district and in the country should consider filing, along with any place where there's a housing crisis or where you're not being paid enough,鈥� they said.
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