Unionization will allow for your voice to be heard when making the contract... (you guys come up with it based on your locations views thoughts and opinions with the union rep you work with) Bigger idea here with unions... 1. job security once through the 90 day probationary pierod it becomes hard to be fired for no reason or due to the company being overstaffed or not being able to afford payroll and keep the same profits they have already 2. possibly higher wages 3. things such as guarenteed yearly raises that are the same across the board 4. seniority hours meaning those who have been there longer will get better/more hours if they want them 5. Seniority pay meaning the 10 year barista wont be making the same pay as a green bean 6. guaranteed hours per week no matter what (if they don't schedule you for them you still get paid those hours no matter what they can asm you to work those guaranteed hours for pay though) 7. if you get in trouble with the company you can say I am not speaking until my union rep arrives and the union rep will be there with you to back you up and represent you 8. the union will get nasty with lawsuits quick if the company breaks contract.... I.E. I worked for a grocery store union they worked out of seniority and the person near the top of the list wasn't getting good hours vs those who were getting paid less and had just arrived union filed a grievance with the company the person was paid back the lost wages plus a lot more and still had their job at the end of it 9. Unions are able to get your job back after wrongful termination (most of the time) it may take a few months but you'll prolly get paid pain and suffering as well as lost wages from it.... Unions allow for power to be with the employees the ones who are even making the business what it is to begin with this means the person who signs your paychecks cant bully you around or underpay you or even treat you unfairly... Unionization may not seem like anything to some partners but it literally can mean the difference in people staying with the company or venturing out elsewhere leaving the remaining staff understaffed with undertrained baristas.... Starbucks has also been insinuating the union will take money away from you and your voice however thats the opposite of what they do yes unions have union dues however initiation fees are usually refunded by half of the fee if you attend a union meeting to explain to you how to utilize the union and your rights as a worker... Furthermore union dues are usually based upon hours and are never unreasonable initiation fee is taken out of pay check as well so its nothing being paid directly out of pocket... I urge people to seriously contact sbworkersunited and speak with them about your concerns with your store everything spoken to the union or sbworkersunited will be confidential and will never get back to the company so no need to worry about retaliation from the company...

I left Starbucks for a union job, and the difference is astronomical. My job is related to construction and public utilities, so the union experience will vary a lot from a Starbucks union. U/Mission-Accident-917 outlines how a union SHOULD work in a perfect world. Sadly, corruption, greed and nepotism can take over.


My job has seniority pay and more senior people tend to have the better jobs, meaning more skilled and oftentimes, less physical. In a Starbucks store, seniority cannot be used to dictate who does what, for example, who’s CS and who’s bar. But, it can be used to determine who gets better hours. Example, A has worked here for 9 years, B has worked here 4 years, while C has worked here 3 months. C may have a certain availability, but under a union, if A and B want that shift, it goes to A, then B, considering that they’re both on good terms and skilled at the job. Also, if A, B, and C are legally considered part time, and A and B want as close to 40 hours as they can get, then they should get that preference over C or anyone under them.

#7 of the aforementioned users points are huge. If something goes wrong at work, such as a barista matching an out of control Karen’s energy, the Karen may make a complaint to corporate, and under current Starbucks, the barista will be scolded and lectured about customer connection and making the moment right, and they could be threatened with termination. In a union environment, they would still double down on staying calm, but in meetings like this, you can use your Weingarten rights, meaning you can legally request that union representative must be present in any discussion that may result in discipline, whether on the phone, video call or in person. Also, my contract states that we cannot be terminated over the phone or by video call, and if we are laid off, we must be informed in person and with a document in writing that’s turned into the union hall, so that we can look for work elsewhere. Where Starbucks’ union hall would be, especially with union stores being very spread out, is another thing. It could even be digital.

9. This is true. It’s hard for them to terminate you in the first place. To be terminated, they have to have a certain amount of evidence against you, and it has to be damning. A lot of god awful lazy people work with the union and they keep their jobs. It is a double edged sword. These people can make buddies with the union reps and do the bare minimum and keep their well paying job.

Unions definitely keep people around. I am still the newest person at my job, and I’ve been there over a year. The only reason I got the job was because there were no internal applicants, since it’s a “lower on the totem pole” job, and it doesn’t have as high of an earning potential as a journeyman out fixing power lines. Well established unions have great benefits and low cost or sometimes no out of pocket cost health insurance. I pay $15 biweekly for my insurance. That includes health with $20 copays on specialty visits, vision and dental. My deductible is only $1000, while under my moms crap insurance, it was $2500. It is so good, that my mom wants to get on my plan. The wages tend to be better, but I have seen some union jobs like Kroger not raising their pay to compete with non union jobs, such as fast food, competitor groceries or other retail.

As for union dues, this is where a lot of people turn their noses up. I live in a very red state and so many people laugh when I tell them about union dues. The thing many fail to realize, is that union dues fund my retirement, fund training for the next generation, fund my dirt cheap yet top tier health insurance, and best of all it buys me security on the job. I have a disability and the union makes me feel very secure on the job on days where my performance may not be as good.

In a perfect world, a Starbucks union would earn the senior workers their well deserved higher pay, as well as pay by tiers based on time of service. It would protect workers who may be forced to raise their voice or defend themselves against vagrants or unruly customers. It would protect workers at stores where their customer connection scores are lower, maybe because of low staffing and customers with unreasonably high expectations. It would help workers keep their jobs in circumstances where they could be fired for petty reasons, and if a worker is severely messing up, offer them a written recourse. It would help guarantee that senior partners get the first choice at hours, based on availability.

Although, the union would/should not protect workers who are refusing to do tasks, it would not take away peak window time targets or bar speed targets. It wouldn’t take away mobile ordering or number of specifications. One thing about unions, is that you’re still expected to get dirty and go through challenges on the job.