Boston's Cafe Unionization Movement Yields Significant Results With Fresh Wave Of Successful Union Elections – CoffeeTalk

Boston’s cafe unionization movement has made significant progress this week, with two Starbucks locations and multiple Blank Street Coffee locations winning union elections. The Thompson Square Starbucks workers voted unanimously (9-0) to join Starbucks Workers United, making the Charlestown location the 20th to unionize in Massachusetts. This comes as the fight between Starbucks and Workers United, the labor union that represents Starbucks employees, has made national headlines recently. The union tweeted earlier this year that the company had “backtracked on our path forward,” leading to strikes and walk-outs from unionized workers.

Boston area workers at the rapidly-expanding, New York-based Blank Street Coffee also won their union election, with 97% of the votes in favor of unionization. Workers at Boston’s seven locations announced their filing to unionize in May, claiming they were overworked and understaffed. The private-equity-backed chain, known for its automated espresso machines, has grown rapidly since its start in Brooklyn, New York, in 2020. Employee retention was also low at the Boston shops.

The union wins this week are part of a years-long wave of increased unionization efforts at area coffee shops. In May, Nestle-owned Blue Bottle Coffee’s local union made headlines over multiple walkouts — one over installing security cameras in stores and another over the termination of an employee — amid lengthy contract negotiations. Other unionized cafe workforces include Pavement Coffeehouse baristas.

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