July 24, 2024
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Workers at the Starbucks store at 16th and Walnut streets voted to join the Starbucks Workers United. It is the 13th Starbucks in Philadelphia to do so. The file photo above is of a Starbucks at Drexel University.
Workers at another Starbucks store in Philadelphia voted this week to unionize.
With the 9-to-4 vote, the coffee shop at 16th and Walnut streets became the 13th Starbucks in Philly and the 34th in Pennsylvania to win a union election. Workers said in a statement they are organizing for "core issues like respect, better wages, racial and gender equity and fair scheduling."
"I'm really happy we, the store, got together and made a change, said Anthal Arizaga, who has worked as a shift supervisor at the location for seven years. "We're moving forward like a team, and it's good to not only feel the unity within us, but to actually see it as well."
LETS GO PHILLY!!!!!!!!
— Starbucks Workers United (@SBWorkersUnited) July 23, 2024
Say congratulations to the newest union shop in Philadelphia, PA - workers at the 16th & Walnut store voted YES to their union!! pic.twitter.com/gluj3mL3d0
The Workers United union stated that workers at 14 other Starbucks in the United States have voted to unionize in the past week, including locations in Pittsburgh, New York City and Atlanta. Workers United said more than 470 Starbucks stores nationwide have successfully unionized.
Earlier this year, Starbucks committed to negotiate with Workers United after facing allegations of union-busting and stalling tactics.
Starbucks spokesperson Jay Go Guasch said in a statement: "At Starbucks, we believe that our direct relationship as partners is core to the experiences we create in our stores, and we respect our partners' rights to have a choice on the topic of unions."
Guasch added: "We are committed to delivering on our promise to offer a bridge to a better future to all Starbucks partners."
The push for unionization has extended to other coffee shops in Philadelphia, too. Workers at Green Line Cafe, Elixr, ReAnimator, Ultimo, Vibrant and Bluestone Lane are among those who have unionized in recent years.
In June, all OCF Coffee House locations closed permanently, with OCF Realty CEO citing operation costs and the workers' decision to join Philly Workers United among the reasons for the closure.
