Portland Starbucks Workers Win Union Election

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 21, 2023

PRESS CONTACT

starbucksmedia@workers-united.org 

PORTLAND — Starbucks Workers United continues to expand the nationwide coalition of workers fighting for better working conditions and a seat at the table. On Friday, workers at the Stucki Avenue Starbucks store in Hillsboro won union representation in a unanimous 15-0 vote, becoming the 15th Starbucks in the Portland metro area to unionize. 

The newly-minted unionized Portland Starbucks workers have joined the fight against the Company’s hour cuts, inadequate staffing, disregard of partner safety, and refusal to bargain with the union in good faith. CEO Howard Schultz and Chair of the Board Mellody Hobson’s ruthless union-busting campaign — which includes firing union leaders and permanently closing union stores — highlights the company’s hypocrisy as they continue to tout “progressive values” in their marketing.

"I'm incredibly proud of my coworkers for fighting for their labor rights, and I'm hopeful that things will finally get better now that partners actually have a voice in our store," shared Hazel Ivey, Hillsboro barista and organizer.

Starbucks Workers United is the union drive that has taken the labor movement by storm. After a successful first year of the campaign that saw more new unions form in 12 months than any U.S. company in the last 20 years – now sitting at nearly 300 stores representing more than 7,500 workers – partners around the country continue to diligently organize new workers, despite Starbucks’ best effort to thwart unionization. The NLRB has issued over 80 official complaints against the Company, encompassing over 1,400 violations and making Starbucks one of the worst violators of federal labor law in history.

###