Workers at the Bloomington Eastside Starbucks voted unanimously Tuesday to officially join Starbucks Workers United, a collective of more than 340 U.S. Starbucks partners across the country. The store, which is located at Third Street and 46 Bypass, is the third store to unionize in Indiana.
According to a press release, workers at the Bloomington Eastside Starbucks voted 14-0 in support of union representation.
“Our unanimous decision only goes to show that the way this company is being run is unacceptable to its workers, depriving us of our dignity and our ability to make a living,” Bloomington Eastside Starbucks Barista Stefanie Sharp said in the press release. “We have come completely united and now demand that the company come and sit at the bargaining table in good faith.”
[Related: Bloomington Eastside Starbucks employees gain IGWC-UE support in unionization efforts]
In June, workers at the Bloomington Eastside Starbucks store filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to unionize with Starbucks Workers United. In a press release and interview with the Indiana Daily Student, workers alleged the store had poor working conditions, inconsistent scheduling and unfair wages.
By filing the petition, workers asked for the recognition of their union as the collective bargaining agent for all permanent hourly full-time and part-time employees in the store. The store’s union excludes store managers and assistant store managers as defined by the National Labor Relations Board.
The store is the third Starbucks location in Indiana to unionize. Employees at the LaPorte and Silhavy Starbucks store in Valparaiso, Indiana unionized in February and workers at a Starbucks location in Clarksville, Indiana unionized in June 2022.
