Starbucks workers in Wilmington unionize

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Workers at the Starbucks on Highway 17 and Middle Sound Loop Road in Wilmington voted in favor of joining Starbucks Workers United on August 23.

Starbucks Workers United writes in a release that the vote was 16-10 in favor of joining the union, as counted by the National Labor Relations Board. Starbucks has also gained a reputation for union-busting efforts that eventually resulted in a federal judge ordering the company to reinstate seven workers who were fired after attempting to unionize.

“Months of feeling taken advantage of on the floor or fearing retaliation day in and day out has finally paid off. We are now able to be validated as unionized store and we can finally begin to see a partnership being crafted with this company,” said one of the store’s organizing committee leaders Chloe Baker in a release.

This store and 222 others throughout the country have voted in favor of union representation with Starbucks Workers United.

“We all deserve more than what we are getting, more importantly the seat at the table that our labor built,” said Haya Odeh, another organizer for the store.

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