ATLANTA — Workers at the Starbucks on Howell Mill Road became the first in the city of Atlanta to unionize, organizers said.
It's the second store in Georgia to unionize, after an Augusta Starbucks did so in April. A unionization effort that began with one store in Buffalo, New York last year has now spread to more than 200 Starbucks around the country.
The workers at the store voted overwhelmingly in favor of unionizing, 10-1. The union will be affiliated with the Workers United labor group.
Chris Baumann, the Workers United Southern Region Director, told 11Alive's Dalia Perez he was most impressed by the solidity of the vote given company efforts to dissuade unionization efforts.
He pointed to the National Labor Relations Board filing an action against Starbucks in federal court over the firing of employees at a Memphis, Tennessee store where unionization efforts were happening.
"It's a pretty big deal and pretty rare that this type of thing happens, and shows what these workers are up against, the high level of anti-union activity," Baumann said. "The victory is so significant, that it was so overwhelming, despite everything these workers have been up against."
One of the workers at the Howell Mill store who helped ignite the push for unionization, Paige Smith, said in a statement that she was "extremely proud of the work that my fellow committee members have put into this effort! We are ready and willing to fight for the change we deserve."
Starbucks, in a statement, said they were "listening and learning from the partners in these stores as we always do across the country."
Employees at Starbucks stores are referred to as partners by the company.
"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," the company said.
The next step in the process, Baumann said, was a seven-day window where either party is legally allowed to file an objection to the outcome. The union, having won the vote, will not, and Baumann said he hopes the company doesn't either given the one-sidedness of the vote.
"Then the next step is going to the bargaining table. Now Starbucks is legally obligated to negotiate with the store in good faith, to bargain a union contract," he said. "That's around wages, what happens when people are disciplined unfairly, any issues related to the workplace will be bargained. We look forward to doing that with the company in the days ahead."
The unionization push at the Howell Mill Starbucks is a rare labor victory in Georgia, where state laws are much more oriented to benefit businesses.
A much-publicized unionization effort at the Cumberland Mall Apple Store would have made that location the first Apple Store in the country to form a union, but the employees looking to unionize dropped their bid before a vote, citing intimidation.