Starbucks workers at a coffee shop in Buffalo, New York, voted to unionize on Thursday, becoming the first of the chain's company-owned stores to successfully organize, The Buffalo News reports.
The vote to unionize won by a 19-8 margin, reports CNN Business, and came after a "major" campaign by the company to convince workers they would be better off voting against union representation. Two other Starbucks stores in Buffalo also voted — one location voted against unionizing, and the third location's votes are still being tallied, writes The Associated Press.
The organizing campaign was closely watched nationally, writes Buffalo News, because it could create a new template for workers at other locations, and even other major chains, to advocate for higher pay and other improvements. The store that voted in favor of unionizing will now move into the certification process.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Watching the vote and its results via Zoom, the shop's workers and other supporters of the union effort erupted into cheers and jumped up and down upon learning they had succeeded. Watch the moment below, and read more about the implications of the vote at CNN Business.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.