CLEVELAND — Employees at two Starbucks locations in Northeast Ohio have filed for unionization.
According to a release from Starbucks Workers United, employees at these two locations -- 157 W. Garfield Rd in Aurora and 17180 Royalton Road in Strongsville -- have filed petitions with the National Labor Relations Board to unionize. First launched in 2021, Starbucks Workers United is a national effort for employees at the global coffee chain to unionize.
Thus far, employees at more than 300 Starbucks locations have filed for unionization, including 13 in Ohio and seven in the Cleveland metro area. Other Northeast Ohio locations to file for unionization include West 6th Street in Downtown Cleveland, Crocker Park, Mayfield and Lee location in Cleveland Heights, Clifton Boulevard near the Lakewood border and University Circle in Cleveland.
"I am organizing out of respect for myself and my coworkers, in solidarity with the other Starbucks stores to unionize so far, and in honor of all the workers that have been fighting for hundreds of years for the right to organize," Livia Proctor, a barista and organizer at the Aurora location, said in a statement. "I think everyone should know the pride and satisfaction of fighting for oneself, because everyone should know that their voice is worth fighting for."
Thus far, Starbucks has opposed the unionization efforts of its employees. In March, longtime Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz defended his company's stance while testifying before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
“We've done everything that we possibly can to respect the right under the law of our partners' ability to join a union,” Schultz said. “But conversely, we have consistently laid out our preference, without breaking any law, of communicating to our people what we believe is our vision for the company.”