The World's Largest Starbucks Is Making Moves To Join The Union

The Starbucks Chicago Roastery is massive, and at over 35,000 square feet, it's the largest of the company's more than 9,000 U.S. locations and 35,000 worldwide. It's not the size of the store; however, that's currently making headlines. Instead, it's the fact the Chicago Roastery has become the latest Starbucks location to attempt to unionize. Since 2021, when the first Starbucks store unionized in Buffalo, New York, more than 330 stores have voted to follow suit. The 200-plus workers at the Chicago Roastery haven't voted yet, but they've filed to do so with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), according to Starbucks Workers United.

A pro-union vote would be significant and symbolic, not only because of the sheer size of the multi-story store but because the Chicago Roastery is one of only three Starbucks Reserve Roasteries in the U.S. — the others are located in Seattle and New York City — and those two have already unionized, Starbucks Workers United noted. Additionally, The Chicago Roastery's petition to vote is being filed contemporaneously with the Chicago stop of a summer bus tour organized by Starbucks Workers United. Dubbed the "Union is Calling," the tour aims to promote the workers' platform along its 13-city itinerary and to garner support from customers of the giant coffee chain.

"We remain committed to supporting our Chicago Roastery partners," Starbucks said in response to Static Media when pressed for comment on the recent news. When accused of anti-union actions, Starbucks often points to the $1.4 billion it has invested to make life better for workers — partners, in Starbucks parlance — and to the pay and benefits enjoyed by workers at the Chicago Roastery and elsewhere. These include pay that starts at $18.75 per hour and medical health insurance options, which include dental and vision coverage, as well as mental health support and therapy.

Starbucks Workers United, meanwhile, can point to all of the workers who are alleged to have been fired for attempting to unionize. That number stood at 85 as of last summer, and alongside numerous complaints and allegations of workplace impropriety, created what was termed a "culture of fear" by one fired employee, per The Guardian. In the year since, the number of complaints has only grown. The NLRB has alleged that Starbucks has committed upward to 1,200 violations, and federal judges have noted 36 unlawful firings, to go along with 200 confirmed contraventions of federal labor law. These repeated violations have led Starbucks Workers United to dub the company one of "the worst violators of labor law in modern U.S. history."

"We are tired of seeing our coworkers burnt out, bullied, and mistreated every day. I love my job, I love my coworkers, and I love the people we serve. I know we all deserve to experience the Roastery the way it should be — as a space where everyone feels welcome, appreciated, and valued," said Jamie Williamson, an Operations Lead at Starbucks' Chicago Roastery, in response to unionizing efforts.

If the Chicago Roastery's workers vote to unionize, they will join the over 8,500 Starbucks employees in the U.S. that have already done so, per Starbucks Workers United. It should be noted, however, that these workers represent only part of the total U.S. workforce for the coffee giant, and Starbucks employees aren't unanimous in their desire to unionize. In Chicago, for example, four stores have already voted against unionizing, while 15 have voted in favor, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Despite the many elections held to date, and the upcoming one for the Chicago Roastery, no agreements or contracts currently exist between Starbucks and its union workers, the Chicago Sun-Times noted.