Workers at two Southern California Starbucks locations, one in Lakewood and one in Long Beach, voted to join a union Friday, bringing the total number of unionized Starbucks locations in California to four.
The votes came days after the first union victories for Starbucks workers in California at two Santa Cruz stores. They are part of a national campaign to organize the coffee giant that has spread rapidly across the country over the last six months.
Twenty-four workers at the store near Candlewood Street and Lakewood Boulevard in Lakewood voted in favor of the union, with one voting against. At the Starbucks location by Redondo Avenue and 7th Street in Long Beach, 13 workers voted unanimously to join the union.
Workers at the two stores announced their intent to unionize March 7, writing in open letters that they felt overworked, understaffed and underpaid.
Starbucks spokesperson Reggie Borges said in an emailed statement that the company respects workers’ right to organize, but it prefers to address workplace concerns directly.
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“We are listening and learning from the partners in these stores as we always do across the country,” Borges said. “From the beginning, we’ve been clear in our belief that we are better together as partners, without a union between us, and that conviction has not changed.”
Business
California is now home to two unionized Starbucks stores
Votes tallied Tuesday at two Starbucks stores in Santa Cruz brought a growing union movement at the coffee giant to California.