"Starbucks workers form first-ever union in company history", 9 December 2021

Starbucks workers at a coffeeshop in New York’s second-biggest city have voted to form the first-ever union in the company’s 50-year history...

On 9 December, the National Labor Relations Board tallied 27 ballots cast among 36 eligible workers from one Buffalo store, with 19 ballots voting to unionise and eight against...

Three Buffalo-area shops held independent elections to determine whether they would unionise. One shop voted down the results, which the union is likely to challenge, and a post-election review of several challenged ballots will determine the outcome at another location.

The Elmwood Avenue location is the first among the company’s roughly 9,000 corporate-owned US stores to unionise...

Workers at the Camp Road location voted against unionising by a vote of 12 against and four in support...

For the election among workers at the Genesee Street...the union’s lawyer Ian Hayes challenged six ballots, arguing that those workers do not work at that store. Alan Model, a lawyer for Starbucks, disagreed. Mr Model also challenged one ballot.

Among the unchallenged ballots, the results included 15 in support with nine against. Without a simple majority, those contested ballots will be determinative. A post-election process will review those ballots and mark an outcome at a later date.

Union supporters say the Camp Road store was recently staffed by new hires who were steered by the company against joining the campaign. Two ballot challenges at that location remain unresolved, and one was voided by the board.

Mr Hayes also said three ballots were slipped under the door of a local labour board office before deadline, and that those votes should count. If those are “yes” votes, they would be determinative. The union is likely to challenge those results...