Located across from the student union, Starbucks coffee is a popular stop for students. Now Employees are attempting to unionize. Credit: Madison Kinner | Asst. Campus Editor

Anger is brewing as staff members of the Starbucks location just across from the Ohio Union seek to unionize, unhappy with the current working conditions. 

According to a Nov. 7 letter written to Starbucks President and interim CEO Howard Schultz, staff members at the Starbucks location at 1784 N. High St.  —  many of whom are Ohio State students who need to work for their education—  feel the working conditions are unsustainable. They demanded union recognition and election to unionize.  

“As a campus store, our needs are specific: Partners travel to their homes during academic breaks and deserve to be secure in their employment when they return,” the letter stated. “We work to pay rent and tuition, to keep food on the table, and to have healthcare. No one should be robbed of these basic rights in the name of corporate greed and favoritism.”

Starbucks locations across the country have sought unionization, and the first to successfully unionize in Columbus was the location at 88 E. Broad St. in May, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Since then, the campus location is the third in Columbus to push for union recognition, after Broad Street and a Westerville location, according to NBC4.

According to NPR, over 300 Starbucks locations have had union elections this year as the company faces over 325 unfair labor practice charges by the National Labor Relations Board.  

Maddie Ferree, a third-year in microbiology and Starbucks employee, said an issue which led workers to consider unionization was the “repeated pattern” of companywide policies implemented that were unfit for individual stores but increased “shareholder profit.”

Nick DeGroff, a second-year in biomedical science and Starbucks worker, said one companywide policy which requires employees to work a minimum of 12 hours per week is hard to manage as a student, but they are not given flexibility with this rule. 

“If we were to not unionize, I would most likely get fired within the next few months solely from the fact that I cannot keep up with unrealistic expectations that the company put forward,” DeGroff said. 

DeGroff said the company does not seem to care nor pay attention to its individual employees. 

“It’s really just their hierarchy, and the people high up just could not really care about people that are far below them and they just want to make sure that they can stay afloat,” DeGroff said. 

Hannah Wright, a 2022 graduate in public affairs and nonprofit management and shift supervisor at Starbucks, said the final straw leading to unionization efforts was the firing of an employee she said was unjust. 

“A couple of months ago we saw a firing occur at our store that was pretty blatantly, to us at least, meant as a union-busting move because this was a employee who was known for following the rules by the book,” Wright said. 

Ruby Lobert, a second-year in public management, leadership and policy and a member of the organizing committee for the Starbucks location, said workers have not officially unionized but have petitioned for an election to unionize and should receive their official election date in the upcoming weeks.

Lobert said leading up to the election, the main goal is to gain support for unionization and make sure the employees feel secure.

“Really, the big next steps are just shoring up support and making sure that our partners feel safe and welcome in our workplace because Starbucks union-busting tactics are very ugly and very penalizing,” Lobert said. 

Wright said there is currently a GoFundMe for the Starbucks location for people to donate instead of going to Starbucks to show support. She said if people can’t donate, they can send supportive messages to workers in the store. 

“People are coming in and instead of giving their name they’re saying, like, ‘I support the union’ or ‘pro-union’ or ‘union strong,’ so that way when we call it out in the cafe, everyone can hear it,” Lobert said. “I think that’s another tangible way to support us.”

Starbucks could not be reached for comment by the time of publication.