Employees at a third Bellingham Starbucks have successfully voted to form a union in their store.
The Sehome Starbucks, located on 36th Street near Western Washington University, held a union vote on Thursday, and employees overwhelmingly supported the formation of a union through Workers United. Of the 28 possible voters in the store, 15 voted in support of the union and 6 voted against.
The store initially filed intent to unionize in mid-October, citing concerns with the prioritization of profits over people, according to a letter from the baristas to corporate leadership, former CEO Howard Schultz and incoming CEO Laxman Narasimhan. Fifteen Sehome employees signed the letter.
Employees from the Sehome location joined Bellingham’s other unionized coffee shops during the national “Red Cup Rebellion” strike day in mid-November.
“Here in Bellingham, people have been really supportive of union groups,” Sehome barista Cameron Cogle said during the strike. “We’re together, we’re standing up against them, and we’re here for a better cause.”
Over 300 Starbucks locations across the United States have filed to unionize, and as of Nov. 30, 264 have voted to form unions, though the Seattle-based coffee giant has yet to reach an agreement on contracts with the union stores. There have been more than 440 unfair labor practice charges filed against the company, and another 47 filed against the union.
