LADUE, Mo. — Baristas at a Ladue Starbucks are petitioning for union representation, a first in the area and part of a push seen at the Seattle coffee chain's stores across the country.
The Chicago & Midwest Regional Joint Board of Workers United (CMRJB), a labor union and affiliate of Washington, D.C.-based Service Employees International Union (SEIU), said it is organizing the employees, who work at 1500 S. Lindbergh Blvd. and plan to file Tuesday for a National Labor Relations Board election. The NLRB didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. It could seek an agreement for an election date following an investigation.
Workers United represents more than 86,000 workers in the apparel, textile, industrial laundry, food service, manufacturing, warehouse distribution, and nonprofit industries in the U.S. and Canada, according to its website.
The Starbucks unionization push began last year, when two locations in Buffalo, New York, filed for representation. Since then, workers at more than 150 company-owned Starbucks locations have followed suit, according to CNBC. The Buffalo locations became unionized.
The organizing director of the CMRJB, Pete DeMay, said he hoped workers at the St. Louis location would see an election scheduled in six to eight weeks, but, as in other markets, it could take months.
DeMay said the Starbucks unionization movement is growing because "workers across the county want a seat at the table. They want some control over their workplace. They want a say in what their wages, benefits and working conditions are."
Read and see more on the St. Louis Business Journal website.