Workers at Waterfront Starbucks petition to unionize

HOMESTEAD, Pa. — Workers at the Starbucks location in the Waterfront have filed a petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to unionize.

According to Starbucks Workers United, the workers sent a letter to Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan, which stated they’re unionizing to challenge “disrespect, neglect, overworking and bullying” at their store.

“It’s very unfortunate I was fired between our successful organizing and the announcement I’ve been helping draft, but I’m excited for all the friends I’ve made at Starbucks, and I hope they can reap the rewards that they’ve been denied,” said Bella Fero, who was abruptly fired after a year as a barista, according to Starbucks Workers United.

“I think they’ve tried beating us down, but frankly we’ve been beaten down for years so we were ready,” said Johnny Badnar, who has worked at Starbucks for two years. “With all of us together, I think we can conquer this and achieve the rights that we have always deserved.”

Starbucks released the following statement:

We believe that our direct relationship as partners is core to the culture and experiences we create in our stores. To that end, wherever we can quickly and broadly improve partner benefits and perks, our history demonstrates we have. We recognize that a subset of partners feel differently and we respect their right to organize and bargain collectively, and we are eager to reach ratified agreements in 2024 for represented stores. Our commitment to offer all partners a bridge to a better future remains unchanged.

Starbucks Workers United said 9,000 Starbucks baristas nationwide are organizing unions.

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