click to enlarge 
Shutterstock
Ten Starbucks stores in Michigan have voted to unionize.
The movement among Starbucks employees to unionize continues to spread across Michigan.
A Starbucks store at 5655 Pickard St. in Mount Pleasant petitioned to form a union early Thursday morning.
A vast majority of store's employees signed union authorization cards, according to Workers United.
If employees are successful, the store
would become the 11th in Michigan to vote in support of unionization.
In an email to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, the store's union organizing committee wrote that “it is time that we all face the inexcusable reality that we have been given this status (of partners) in title only, without also being granted the opportunity to experience true partnership by providing feedback and perspective on wages, benefits, and working conditions.”
Workers United International Vice President Kathy Hanshew said employees aren’t given a true partnership.
“Starbucks is a multimillion dollar corporation that tries to pride itself on working in partnership with its employees, all while silencing the workers and denying them their right to union representation and a collective voice,” Hanshew said. “Starbucks calls its employees ‘partners,’ but it is abundantly clear that this so-called partnership is one of convenience for the company, that leaves many employee concerns unheard. It is time for Starbucks to do the right thing, acknowledge the voice of their ‘partners,’ and allow their workers to unionize without interference.”
On Tuesday, employees at a Starbucks store in Clinton Township
went on strike after they say the company refused to negotiate with their union in good faith. In June, employees at the store
voted 8-3 to form a union.
In May, a store in Grand Rapids became the first Starbucks in Michigan to vote in favor of unionizing.
Since then, Starbucks stores in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Lansing, Clinton Township, Flint and East Lansing voted to unionize.
Stay connected with Detroit Metro Times. Subscribe to our newsletters, and follow us on Google News, Apple News, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, or TikTok.
