Iowa City Starbucks first in state to pursue a union

IOWA CITY — Workers at the Starbucks in downtown Iowa City are the first in the state to begin the process to unionize.

The petition was filed March 27 for the 31 employees at the Starbucks at 228 S. Clinton St. The petition, filed with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board, seeks to unionize all full-time and regular part-time baristas and shift supervisors.

Workers at more than 290 Starbucks nationwide have unionized in a movement led by Starbucks Workers United. The company has almost 16,000 stores in the United States.

“In the nearly two years I’ve been with Starbucks, I’ve learned how much I value a workplace that is safe for employees, efficient for customers and fun for everyone,” employee and organizer Molly Belvo said in a statement.

“Instead of prioritizing these essential company standards, those at the very top of this company are focused solely on making record profits. Unionizing will ensure these needs are met and create the best environment possible,” Belvo stated.

Eight Iowa City workers took part in a TikTok video by Starbucks Workers United explaining why employees want to unionize. Among the reasons given were prioritizing employee and customer safety, giving employees a voice and guaranteeing consistent schedules without the fear of losing shifts.

The next step will be to hold an election. If workers vote to unionize, the National Labor Relations Board will certify the union as the representative for collective bargaining.

A Starbucks store in Buffalo, N.Y., was the first to unionize in December 2021. No collective bargaining contracts have been reached with unionized Starbucks, and both sides say the other is undermining the process, NPR previously reported.

Starbucks has been under fire for allegedly breaking labor laws and trying to thwart unionization efforts. Complaints filed by the NLRB state Starbucks has illegally refused to negotiate, and that company is accused of withholding wages and benefits from employees at unionized stores.

"Over the past 18 months, Starbucks has waged the most aggressive and illegal union-busting campaign in the modern history of our country," U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said last week.

Howard Schultz, who has served as Starbucks CEO three times, denied those allegations in front of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee last week.

Sanders, who sits on the committee, pushed Schultz to promise that Starbucks would exchange contract proposals with the union within two weeks of the hearing. Schultz declined to make that promise but said the company would continue to bargain with the union.

"We want to treat everyone with respect and dignity," Schultz said. "However, I have the right, and the company has the right, to have a preference. And our preference is to maintain the direct relationship we've had with our employees, who we call partners."

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