WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. — Another Buffalo-area Starbucks store had ballots counted in a unionization vote.
The Williamsville Place Starbucks was the eighth WNY Starbucks to have votes counted by the National Labor Relations Board in a unionization election on Monday.
However, more than half of the valid ballots were contested. A total of 10 ballots were contested because the parties could not agree on the eligibility of certain voters. Nine votes were able to be counted.
This meant that the results of the election can not officially be determined. The ballots are currently under review by the NLRB. The challenged votes were then impounded.
Of the ballots that could be counted, six were for forming a union and three were against.
“We are confident that our union victory will be reaffirmed by the NLRB once the challenge ballots are resolved,” said Casey Moore, a barista at the Williamsville Place store. “This movement began in Buffalo over six months ago and Starbucks has thrown everything they can to try to stop our efforts, including Rossann Williams, the President of Starbucks North America, leading a team of corporate representatives and managers to spy, intimidate, and threaten workers.”
“We’re looking forward to sitting at the bargaining table with Starbucks,” said Sariah Hakes, a barista at the Williamsville Place store. “We can’t wait to make decisions about our working conditions and really be heard both as workers and as people.”
At the beginning of the month, The National Labor Relations Board issued an official complaint against Starbucks, alleging they have committed hundreds of federal labor law violations in Western New York.
That filing came after federal labor officials ruled that the company engaged in unfair labor practices in Phoenix.
2 On Your Side reached out to Starbucks for a statement, here is what they had to say:
“We are listening and learning from the partners in these stores as we always do across the country. From the beginning, we’ve been clear in our belief that we are better together as partners, without a union between us, and that conviction has not changed. We respect our partner’s right to organize and are committed to following the NLRB process.”
