State Street Starbucks workers accuse upper management of anti-union efforts ahead of vote 

According to the Capital Times, workers at the Madison Starbucks on State Street have reported upper management representatives’ attempts to stifle unionization efforts.

After workers filed to unionize on April 18, shift supervisor and union organizer Matthew Cartwright reported more frequent visits from these representatives, who he said tried to convince employees not to unionize in one-on-one conversations.

Andrew Tull, a Starbucks spokesperson, denied the company’s increased management presence due to unionization efforts and maintained that management provided employees with neutral information about the upcoming election.

Employers are prohibited by federal labor law from threatening workers for supporting a union, promising benefits for opposing a union, coercively questioning workers about their union support, or conveying the message that selecting a union would be futile.

The State Street Starbucks location will hold an election to determine union formation next Thursday, June 1 at the U.S. Federal Court near the Capitol.

Since the first Starbucks location’s vote to form a union in December 2021, nearly 300 stores have unionized successfully and been NLRB certified.