The National Labor Relations Act still functions, just barely, for Starbucks workers. Employees at fast-food franchises face even worse odds under federal labor law.
At the heart of the current uptick in union organizing at companies like Starbucks has been “worker-to-worker unionism.” That model could be key to scaling up organizing and revitalizing the labor movement.
Microsoft and Starbucks as exceptions to corporations’ union busting; Starbucks baristas as beacons of bottom-up organizing.
The entire labor movement should wake up and pay attention to the lessons from Starbucks workers’ victory this week.
In a historic breakthrough, Starbucks and its workers announce they’ve come together. In a joint announcement Starbucks and Workers United agreed “to begin discussions on a foundational framework designed to achieve…collective bargaining agreements.”
The UAW’s newish president won Detroit auto workers their best deals in decades. Now he’s out to organize Tesla and the rest of the industry’s EV jobs.
Since 2021, 483 Starbucks stores in 46 states that have filed to unionize; of those, 385 stores in 43 states have won union elections, a nearly 80% win rate. The company continues to fight with illegal and stall tactics but workers keep organizing.
The gains in union membership in 2023 were driven entirely by workers under the age of 45, says Heidi Shierholz, president of the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.
Strikes by autoworkers, actors and writers brought wins in 2023, but analysts worry labor laws could undo progress. Worker advocates say what is badly needed is for other unions, helped by the AFL-CIO, also to launch big, ambitious organizing drives.
Spread the word