"‘We know our rights’: Two Boston-area Starbucks become first locations in Mass. to unionize," 11 Apr. 2022

Employees at two Boston-area Starbucks cafes voted unanimously to formally unionize ... — a first for the coffee giant in Massachusetts.

... A Starbucks spokesperson told the Globe that the company will “100 percent follow the [NLRB] process” going forward. In a statement, the company said, “We will become the best version of Starbucks by co-creating our future directly as partners. And we will strengthen the Starbucks community by upholding each other’s dreams; upholding the standards and rituals of the company; celebrating partner individuality and voice; and upholding behaviors of mutual respect and dignity.”

... Baristas at the two locations first petitioned to unionize in December, inspired by similar action at cafes in Buffalo. A total of 15 Massachusetts Starbucks — and nearly 200 across 29 states — have since taken steps to form a union.

Out of 19 formal elections across the country, workers have voted to unionize at 18 cafes.

... The two unionized Starbucks are now ready to bargain for a contract that guarantees worker protections and a livable wage, said Ash O’Neill, an Allston barista. “The sooner that Starbucks comes to bargain in good faith with us, the sooner a contract will come in place,” O’Neill added.