First in Wisconsin: Workers at Oak Creek Starbucks Join Wave of Union Organizing with Starbucks Workers United

Wisconsin workers feel the momentum brewing for union rights. Today, workers at the Oak Creek Starbucks location filed for a union election with Starbucks Workers United, CMRJB Workers United. Starbucks workers at over 75 stores and counting, in cities and states across the country, have filed for union rights in recent weeks. From New York to Washington, Florida to Oregon, and now Wisconsin, baristas and café workers at Starbucks are coming together in union to negotiate for a better life and a better workplace.

“There’s never been a better time to go union. Today, workers at the Starbucks in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, together with Starbucks Workers United and the Chicago and Midwest Joint Board of Workers United, filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board,” said Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Stephanie Bloomingdale. “Congratulations to the courageous Starbucks workers in Oak Creek who are coming together in union for fair wages, dignity, and respect on the job. Unions are for everyone. Every worker should have the freedom to come together in union and collectively bargain at work. Workers are essential for building the wealth of Starbucks and deserve a seat at the table. From coast-to-coast workers are standing up and demanding better. Workers will not be deterred. The entire labor movement is ready to move forward in solidarity to support union organizing at Starbucks, in the service industry, and across all workplaces.”

A 2021 Gallup poll found that unions are more popular now than they’ve been in over 50 years, with 68 percent of Americans in favor of unions, including 77 percent of people ages 18 to 34. The Oak Creek Starbucks Workers United organizing campaign comes on the heels of a successful union drive at Colectivo Coffee where workers won union rights with the IBEW.