W. Michigan Starbucks Employees Unionize, Flint + GB Could Follow

A Starbucks in Grand Rapids has become the first location in Michigan to unionize, while 10 additional stores in our state plan to vote on the measure in June.

Baristas at the Starbucks location on Burton Street in Grand Rapids voted last week by a margin of 15 to 3 to become a union shop, a major victory for state organizers who have been pushing for the vote since January. A nationwide campaign for Starbucks employees to unionize began late last year in Buffalo, New York.

Additional Michigan Starbucks Stores to Vote in June

Four Michigan stores - including the one on S. Saginaw Street in Grand Blanc - filed for the right to hold union elections. In February, five more locations, including Flint's Miller Road store, all joined the effort.

According to Michigan Advance, the following Starbucks will hold elections to determine if they will unionize:

1214 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor (votes June 7)
300 S. Main St., Ann Arbor (votes June 7)
222 S. State St., Ann Arbor (votes June 7)
120 S. Zeeb Rd. #101, Ann Arbor (votes June 7)
4585 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor (votes June 7)
4243 Miller Rd., Flint (votes June 9)
1141 E Grand River Ave., East Lansing (votes June 9)
2624 Lake Lansing Rd., Lansing (votes June 9)
17410 Hall Rd., Clinton Township (votes June 9)
11353 S. Saginaw St., Grand Blanc (votes June 9)
3650 Carpenter Rd., Ypsilanti (election date TBD)

Matthew Kain is a labor organizer with Workers United, the group working with Michigan's Starbucks employees. He sites issues such as wages, inconsistent COVID-19 protocols, and a subpar training program as the reasons for seeking union protection for employees.

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