Starbucks Unionization Drive Hits 10,000-Worker Mark

Unions have successfully organized more than 10,000 workers at Starbucks Corp. locations nationwide, according to a Bloomberg Law analysis of National Labor Relations Board election data.

The 10,000th Starbucks worker was organized sometime in late March, a month that saw 21 victories for unions in NLRB-held representation elections at Starbucks workplaces, resulting in 376 newly union-represented baristas and shift supervisors.

The big numbers in March are an indication that the drive to unionize Starbucks workers is far from over, despite an overall decrease in NLRB election activity since the massive wave of union wins in Spring 2022. March’s total of 21 union wins is the highest monthly total since the end of that wave, and the 376 workers covered by those wins made March the second-most successful month for unions during that time.

Since November 2021, when baristas at two New York locations voted to join a union for the first time in the company’s history, labor has prevailed in 423 of 514 NLRB elections involving Starbucks workers, for an average of 15 wins—and about 350 workers covered—per month. Almost all of the workers organized as a result of these elections are represented by the Service Employees International Union.

Although 10,209 Starbucks workers have now been organized as a result of NLRB elections, the number that are covered under collective bargaining agreements remains at zero, as Starbucks has not begun negotiating first contracts with any of its 423 bargaining units.

GENERATE THE DATA

To replicate the research that was used for this article:

1. Visit Bloomberg Law’s Labor Relations & Collective Bargaining page. (Bloomberg Terminal subscribers: Run BLAW OUT <GO> and search for “Labor Relations & Collective Bargaining”.)
2. Under Labor PLUS Records: Search & Track, select the “NLRB Petitions & Elections” tracker (highlighted below).

The “NLRB Petitions & Elections” tracker contains details of more than 140,000 NLRB petitions and elections from 1988 to present, updated on a daily basis. The scope of the results can be controlled by using the filters on the left side.

3. Type “Starbucks” (or the company name of your choice) in the “Employer” filter.

4. Select “Representation” in the “Election Type” filter.
5. Select “Labor Win” in the “Election Outcome” filter.

6. Download the records into a spreadsheet format by clicking the download icon above the list of results, and selecting “CSV results.”

The resulting spreadsheet file can be used to:

• calculate totals and averages;
• identify and remove outliers; and
• sort the records based on election date, number of workers, and other criteria.

Because Bloomberg Law’s research tools are regularly updated, users’ results when following these instructions may differ from the results generated for this article.

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