Sulphur’s Starbucks has voted to unionize, becoming the fifth coffee shop in Louisiana to join the national union, Starbucks Workers United. The team’s unanimous decision was prompted by their efforts to organize since January 2021 and a desire for better working conditions and control over them.
Despite initial concerns, the town’s history of strong unions gave employees confidence in their decision. Harlow, a shift supervisor at the location, emphasized that unionizing was seen as the best way to ensure better working conditions and have some control over them.
Starbucks engaged with the union after a national push in February 2021, following a judge’s ruling that the company violated federal labor laws. In December 2023, Starbucks announced its commitment to improving relations with the union and reaching a labor agreement. Harlow was elected as a delegate for the store and will participate in bargaining efforts with the company.
Since 2018, over 140 Starbucks stores with 10,000 employees have joined Starbucks Workers United. Harlow expressed hope that more Louisiana locations would follow suit, recognizing the benefits of having the structure and safety that come with being part of a union.
The Sulphur location is currently the only unionized store in the area between Houston, Texas, and Baton Rouge. Efforts to organize began shortly after it opened in November of 2020. By February of 2021, employees went public with their unionization efforts and were joined by other Starbucks locations across the country.
Despite initial concerns about receiving support from customers or management, employees were confident in their decision based on their town’s history of robust and long-standing unions. They saw unionizing as an important step towards ensuring better working conditions and having some control over their jobs.
Harlow noted that using traditional communication methods did not lead to the changes they desired prompting them to take this collective action. She also added that while there were some initial concerns about customer reactions or potential loss of business due to unionization efforts those fears did not materialize.
Overall, Harlow expressed how empowering it felt for her colleagues at Sulphur’s Starbucks to come together and make this collective decision towards better working conditions and job security through Unionization efforts .
