BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Workers at the 3rd and 46 Bypass Starbucks in Bloomington, Indiana filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to unionize with Starbucks Workers United Monday.
Workers sent a letter to Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan after the store's pride flag was taken down during Pride Month.
In the letter, workers explained they’re unionizing as they, “want to reclaim the power we deserve over our workplace, reclaim the third place, and protect the culture of authenticity and inclusion that queer workers have built at Starbucks.”
The employees are joining a nationwide movement of over 8,000 baristas organizing for better working conditions, fair wages and consistent schedules.
Workers at the LaPorte & Silhavy location in Valparaiso successfully unionized in February.
"We're already one of the highest volume stores in Indiana, and the company has been cutting all of our hours, keeping us understaffed, and then demanding we get even more orders out the window to earn those hours back, but they never come," said Stefanie Sharp, a barista and organizer at the Bloomington location. "We're working three different positions at once while worrying if we have enough hours to keep our benefits, or even pay rent. We've been stretched to our absolute limit, and we've decided to stand up together and fight for unionization."
Shortly after the Bloomington location announced its unionization, another store in Maryland Heights, Missouri announced its intent to unionize.
The letter from the Page and Ball location said the company failed to promise partners "a bridge to a better future."
The NLRB has issued over 100 official Complaints against the company, encompassing over 1,600 violations of federal labor law.