ST. LOUIS — Employees at two St. Louis area Starbucks locations have moved to unionize, becoming the third and fourth stores in the area to do so.
In letters sent to Starbucks President and CEO Howard Schultz, employees from the Chippewa and Kingshighway location and employees at the Hampton and Wise location announced they are filing to form unions.
In their letter, employees at the Chippewa and Kingshighway location alleged hiring and disciplinary biases that tend to "occur based on race."
The employees at the Hampton and Wise location cited understaffing at the store despite "considerable growth" as one reason they are seeking unionization.
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.
Pete DeMay, organizing director of the CMRJB, told the Business Journal it usually takes a few weeks before an election will be scheduled. And in other markets, it has taken months.
As previously reported in the Business Journal, DeMay added that in some markets, Starbucks has been "ruthlessly fighting against the union," citing the firing of Memphis workers involved in unionization efforts there. The company said it fired the workers after an investigation revealed violations, such as allowing media inside a store to conduct interviews after hours.
Last week, employees at the Starbucks at 1500 S. Lindbergh Blvd. became the first in the region to seek unionization. According to the St. Louis Business Journal, employees at a second area location at 12419 St. Charles Rock Rd. announced plans on Friday to file to form a union.
The St. Louis Business Journal contributed to this story.