TAYLOR, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Amidst the hustle and bustle of making caffeinated beverages and many breakfast items, the Starbucks in Taylor has officially unionized as of July 6. 

“We are more than their labor hours. We are their profit,” workers at the Taylor store said in a statement. “If Starbucks is ‘pro-partner’ then they must be ‘pro-contract.’ I hope many other tired baristas begin to take a stand against this company that has brought in record profits the last few years, while we are continuously suffering on the floor while all of our machines break multiple times a week. Stand up! We are here with you!”

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Since the first Starbucks in Michigan unionized in Grand Rapids in spring of 2022, there have been more than twelve other stores in Michigan to follow in its path. 

Starbucks Workers United congratulated several stores for having union victories after July 4th, including the Taylor location. 

“AND ANOTHER ONE,” the group said in a tweet, “Congratulations to Starbucks workers in Taylor, MI on their huge union win today.”  

During the company’s 25th annual Red Cup Day in November 2022, which commemorates the new holiday menu, more than 100 stores across the country including one in East Lansing took part in a strike, seeking more from corporate. 

“Specifically in the contracts we’re looking to have more consistent scheduling, better wages, seniority, job security, and also just the resources and equipment we need to be successful to meet all these standards,”  Shift Supervisor Emily Grasel and three year veteran said to Michigan News Source. 

The Starbucks on 1141 East Grand River, East Lansing  is one of the unionized stores in the area, and one of the more than 260 unionized stores across the country. 

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According to a report by the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, the rate of Starbucks unionizing has grown exponentially, despite anti-labor union efforts by the CEO of Starbucks. 

“Since the first store voted to unionize in December 2021, in Buffalo, New York, workers at more than 360 stores across nearly 40 states have held union elections.” the committee said, “More than eighty percent of these elections have resulted in a union victory leading to nearly 300 unionized Starbucks coffee shops throughout the country, despite an aggressive and illegal anti-union campaign waged by Starbucks under the leadership of Howard Schultz.”

The committee also found how the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), has filed more than 80 complaints against the company for violating federal labor law, and more than 500 unfair labor practice charges have been filed against the Seattle based coffee company. 

“NLRB judges have found Starbucks has unlawfully threatened to withhold benefits, including health insurance, for workers in Denver, Colorado; Buffalo, New York; Overland Park, Kansas; Seattle, Washington; and Ann Arbor, Michigan,” the committee said. 

The Taylor store joins stores from Ann Arbor, East Lansing, and Flint, as well as others throughout the state who have already unionized.