In Just One Year, Starbucks Workers Have Won 267 Union Elections
A year ago today, Starbucks workers in Buffalo, New York, voted to unionize. Since then the campaign has exploded nationwide, with an impressive 267 Starbucks locations now unionized.
Unionized workers strike for unfair labor practices outside a Starbucks in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 19, 2022. (M. Scott Brauer / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
On December 9, 2021, nineteen Starbucks workers in Buffalo voted to unionize with Starbucks Workers United, a Service Employees International Union (SEIU)–affiliated union for Starbucks workers. In the next 365 days, 3,626 more Starbucks workers joined with the initial nineteen, resulting in 267 unionized Starbucks stores covering around 6,951 Starbucks employees.
The speed and success of the Starbucks unionization campaign has been astonishing. Last year, the Starbucks campaigners unionized a new store every 1.3 days. Over this period, the Starbucks union has accounted for 21 percent of all NLRB election victories.
For the anniversary of its first victory, I have compiled the following statistics about the ongoing union campaign.
Unfair Labor Practice Charges
Since January, the Starbucks Union has filed 548 unfair labor practice charges against Starbucks mostly alleging retaliation against workers for union activity.
Election Filings
In total, the Starbucks Union has filed for elections at 381 Starbucks locations. The rate of election filing was extremely rapid between February and May of this year, but has leveled off more recently.
Election Outcomes
The union has won 81 percent of the elections that have been run for a total of 267 election victories covering 6,951 Starbucks workers.
The union typically wins these elections by large margins. Across all elections that have been run — including wins and losses — the union has won 71 percent of votes cast.
Although the rate of elections being filed has slowed down, the union’s rate of victory has held steady. The union won 80 percent of the last twenty elections run, just one point shy of its 81 percent win rate across all of the elections held so far.
At present, there are seventeen elections that have been filed but not yet run. Based on its historical rate of success, the union should win fourteen of these elections and add another 357 workers to its rolls, bringing its total to 281 stores covering 7,308 Starbucks employees.
Locations
The 267 unionized Starbucks locations are spread out across 36 states and 174 cities.
| City | Unionized Starbucks Stores |
| Seattle, WA | 10 |
| Portland, OR | 10 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 9 |
| Philadelphia, PA | 7 |
| Chicago, IL | 7 |
| Eugene, OR | 7 |
| Richmond, VA | 6 |
| Boston, MA | 5 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | 5 |
| San Antonio, TX | 4 |
| Denver, CO | 4 |
| Bellingham, WA | 3 |
| Albany, NY | 3 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 3 |
| Cleveland, OH | 3 |
| St. Louis, MO | 3 |
| Amherst, NY | 3 |
| Ithaca, NY | 3 |
| Louisville, KY | 2 |
| Atlanta, GA | 2 |
| Brooklyn, NY | 2 |
| Anaheim, CA | 2 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 2 |
| Austin, TX | 2 |
| Brookline, MA | 2 |
| Beaverton, OR | 2 |
| Knoxville, TN | 2 |
| Tallahassee, FL | 2 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | 2 |
| Jacksonville, FL | 2 |
| New York, NY | 2 |
| Buffalo, NY | 2 |
| Rochester, NY | 2 |
| Mesa, AZ | 2 |
| Scottsboro, AL | 1 |
| Birmingham, AL | 1 |
| Fayetteville, AR | 1 |
| Tucson, AZ | 1 |
| Avondale, AZ | 1 |
| Phoenix, AZ | 1 |
| Santa Clara, CA | 1 |
| Santa Maria, CA | 1 |
| Berkeley, CA | 1 |
| San Francisco, CA | 1 |
| Riverside, CA | 1 |
| Barstow, CA | 1 |
| Huntington Beach, CA | 1 |
| La Quinta, CA | 1 |
| Capitola, CA | 1 |
| Long Beach, CA | 1 |
| Lakewood, CA | 1 |
| Greeley, CO | 1 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 1 |
| Louisville, CO | 1 |
| Vernon, CT | 1 |
| West Hartford, CT | 1 |
| Washington, DC | 1 |
| Oviedo, FL | 1 |
| Miami Springs, FL | 1 |
| Augusta, GA | 1 |
| Elmhurst, IL | 1 |
| Carbondale, IL | 1 |
| Rockford, IL | 1 |
| Peoria, IL | 1 |
| Cary, IL | 1 |
| Clarksville, IN | 1 |
| Wichita, KS | 1 |
| Lawrence, KS | 1 |
| Overland Park, KS | 1 |
| New Orleans, LA | 1 |
| Cambridge, MA | 1 |
| Gardner, MA | 1 |
| Westford, MA | 1 |
| Worcester, MA | 1 |
| Waban, MA | 1 |
| Brighton, MA | 1 |
| Watertown, MA | 1 |
| Allston, MA | 1 |
| Stevensville, MD | 1 |
| Nottingham, MD | 1 |
| Bel Air, MD | 1 |
| Olney, MD | 1 |
| Linthicum Heights, MD | 1 |
| Baltimore, MD | 1 |
| Portland, ME | 1 |
| Biddeford, ME | 1 |
| Bloomfield, MI | 1 |
| Mount Pleasant, MI | 1 |
| East Lansing, MI | 1 |
| Clinton Township, MI | 1 |
| Lansing, MI | 1 |
| Flint, MI | 1 |
| Grand Rapids, MI | 1 |
| Roseville, MN | 1 |
| Edina, MN | 1 |
| Bloomington, MN | 1 |
| St. Anthony, MN | 1 |
| Minneapolis, MN | 1 |
| Springfield, MO | 1 |
| Richmond Heights, MO | 1 |
| Valley Park, MO | 1 |
| Kansas City, MO | 1 |
| Independence, MO | 1 |
| Wilmington, NC | 1 |
| Boone, NC | 1 |
| Montclair, NJ | 1 |
| Hamilton, NJ | 1 |
| Summit, NJ | 1 |
| Hopewell (Township), NJ | 1 |
| Albuquerque, NM | 1 |
| Victor, NY | 1 |
| Wantagh, NY | 1 |
| Staten Island, NY | 1 |
| East Greenbush, NY | 1 |
| Vestal, NY | 1 |
| Clifton Park, NY | 1 |
| Malta, NY | 1 |
| Niskayuna, NY | 1 |
| Farmingville, NY | 1 |
| East Amherst, NY | 1 |
| Queens, NY | 1 |
| Garden City, NY | 1 |
| Astoria, NY | 1 |
| Nanuet, NY | 1 |
| Latham, NY | 1 |
| Massapequa, NY | 1 |
| Depew, NY | 1 |
| Hamburg (Town), NY | 1 |
| Westlake, OH | 1 |
| Cleveland Heights, OH | 1 |
| Westerville, OH | 1 |
| Cincinnati, OH | 1 |
| Columbus, OH | 1 |
| Nichols Hills, OK | 1 |
| Springfield, OR | 1 |
| Salem, OR | 1 |
| Happy Valley, OR | 1 |
| Gresham, OR | 1 |
| Whitehall, PA | 1 |
| Easton, PA | 1 |
| Allison Park, PA | 1 |
| McMurray, PA | 1 |
| Greensburg, PA | 1 |
| Anderson, SC | 1 |
| Columbia, SC | 1 |
| Greenville, SC | 1 |
| Alcoa, TN | 1 |
| Memphis, TN | 1 |
| Shavano Park, TX | 1 |
| Denison, TX | 1 |
| Houston, TX | 1 |
| New Braunfels, TX | 1 |
| Dallas, TX | 1 |
| Denton, TX | 1 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | 1 |
| Cottonwood Heights, UT | 1 |
| Arlington, VA | 1 |
| Sterling, VA | 1 |
| Roanoke, VA | 1 |
| Leesburg, VA | 1 |
| Newport News, VA | 1 |
| Farmville, VA | 1 |
| Falls Church, VA | 1 |
| Midlothian, VA | 1 |
| South Burlington, VT | 1 |
| North Bend, WA | 1 |
| Marysville, WA | 1 |
| Tumwater, WA | 1 |
| Everett, WA | 1 |
| Olympia, WA | 1 |
| Madison, WI | 1 |
| Appleton, WI | 1 |
| Plover, WI | 1 |
| Oak Creek, WI | 1 |