Baristas at Kimball Junction Starbucks file petition to unionize

The Kimball Junction Starbucks location. Photo: Townlift // Meredith Kluever

Almost 400 of Starbucks' 9,000 stores have successfully unionized since 2021

PARK CITY, Utah – The Baristas at the Starbucks located in Kimball Junction have officially filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to unionize with the Starbucks Workers United union.

“Across the country management is cutting hours, writing inconsistent and unreliable schedules, and placing more and more work on fewer and fewer partners,” the workers wrote. “We ‘partners’ demand a say. We are the face of Starbucks. As employees, we deserve the same respect and dignity as the CEO.”

Workers from 21 different stores all across the country wrote a letter to Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan to announce their organized unionizing efforts.

Stores in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, North Dakota, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin all filed a petition to join Starbucks Workers United.

The partners from Kimball Junction are becoming part of an expanding nationwide initiative, alongside over 9,500 unionized baristas in almost 400 unionized establishments. They are uniting to improve their working conditions, advocating for fair wages, equitable scheduling, and policies that address workplace discrimination and harassment.

Almost 400 of Starbucks’ 9,000 stores have successfully unionized since 2021.

“Starbucks’ profit driven behavior makes doing our jobs impossible. We cannot keep up with constant promotions, dilapidated equipment, and unclean stores. It’s clear to us now more than ever that this one-sided relationship is no longer working,” the workers wrote to Narasimhan. 

Starbucks has tried to mitigate their stores unionizing, which has seen stores shut down or employees fired due to employees unionizing.

“It’s 2024, if you cannot offer employees a livable wage with benefits, including healthcare and retirement plans, then you should not have the power to control said company. A safe and respectable workplace for all is the bare minimum,” said Kaylee O’Grady, a barista at the Kimball Junction Starbucks location.

“We bring this company its success, and we deserve to have our voices heard.”