Why is a Sarasota Starbucks unionizing? Here's what to know

Eight workers at a Sarasota Starbucks wrote a letter to company CEO Laxman Narasimhan on Wednesday indicating they would be filing for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board.

The store on University Parkway and Honore Avenue will be the 20th Starbucks to file for a union election since last month.

“The mission of Starbucks is to ‘inspire and nurture the human spirit- one person, one cup, one neighborhood at a time,’” the press release said. “Recent antagonizing decisions made by corporate management have made living up to this mission impossible in service toward our beloved patrons and in cooperation with other partners.”

Why are they unionizing?

The Starbucks Workers United at Honore said that their grievances were mainly due to internal policies from corporate management:

• Working conditions at the store have been aggravated by slashed hours, overworked staff and vacant positions with no increase in pay.

• Qualifying for healthcare benefits has become more difficult with an increased minimum time-worked threshold.

• Pay has not been able to stand up to the rising cost of living in the area.

• They cited sustainability issues as well with hundreds of pounds of recyclable material being disposed in a landfill every week.

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Workers reported that on May 15 their store manager of eight years was “abruptly” terminated without any explanation or record of corrective action.

“We are led to believe, as partners still reeling under interim management, that our store manager was wrongfully dismissed for having a sympathetic ear to our justifiable workplace grievances and our growing inclination to achieve unionization,” a press release from the workers said.

What’s a union?

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, unions promote transparency and help resolve workplace issues. Union formation leads to collective bargaining agreement with the employer with agreements on pay, benefits and other employment terms and conditions.

How many Florida Starbucks stores are unionized?

Since May 2022, six stores have unionized in Florida. Here’s a breakdown of each one:

• Tallahassee: On May 3, 2022 the store at 2264-1 N. Monroe St. voted to unionize, making it the first Florida Starbucks to do so.

• Tallahassee: On May 25, 2022 the store on 1703 W. Tennessee St. voted to unionize.

• Jacksonville: On May 11, 2022, two stores vote to unionize.

• Miami Springs: On May 11, 2022, the store voted to unionize, according to the Miami Herald.

• Oviedo: On June 9, 2022, the store became the first Central Florida store to unionize, according to News 6.

How many stores have unionized across the country?

More than 317 stores have unionized across the country as of June 5, according to the Starbucks Workers United website.

Has Starbucks violated labor laws?

A National Labor Relations judge ruled in March that Starbucks had committed “hundreds of unfair labor practices” during unionization efforts at stores in Buffalo, New York and Rochester, New York. Judge Michael Rosas determined that Starbucks illegally disciplined and fired employees “in response to union activity” and ordered the company to reinstate seven fired workers.

He also found that the company threatened workers, spied on them and enforced dress codes and other policies “more stringently against union supporters.”

Contributing: Wyatte Grantham-Phillips, USA Today

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Starbucks coffee in Sarasota Florida's latest to mount union effort