Second Long Island Starbucks Joins Push For Unionization

MASSAPEQUA, NY — A second Long Island Starbucks location is joining the push for unionization from dozens of stores around the country.

The Massapequa Village Square Starbucks, located at 4301 Merrick Road, is the latest store to announce its employees are seeking to unionize. It is the second store on Long Island to join the push. Last week, employees at a Starbucks in Great Neck announced they were trying to unionize.

They join an ever-growing number of Starbucks stores around the country that are pushing for unionization. More than 80 stores are working to unionize — up from 50 just a week ago. Two stores in Buffalo have already formed unions.

Employees at the Massapequa store laid out their grievances in a public letter to Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson. Chief among their concerns was the way the coffee chain has handled the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We needed masks. We needed accessible COVID-19 testing. We needed safe, reasonable quarantine procedures. We needed plexiglass dividers, which were taken down early on for the sake of 'aesthetics.' We needed common-sense rules to empower partners to enforce COVID-19 safety protocols, and not stand for daily verbal abuse from guests in the store," the employees wrote. "None of these needs were met. Again and again, the public image of Starbucks was chosen over the well-being of Starbucks partners. Many of us contracted COVID-19; some of us became seriously ill and were hospitalized."

The employees also took aim at their salaries, which remained unchanged during the pandemic for many workers. Last year, Law took home a $7 million raise, they claim, while they received nothing.

"We did the math," they wrote. "It would take the average Starbucks barista 826 years of work with the company to earn your 2021 salary alone. The price of a coffee from Starbucks continues to rise, while partner wages remain the same."

Twenty-six employees from the store, including shift supervisors and baristas, signed the letter to the CEO. The company has been criticized for firing seven employees who were trying to unionize a Memphis, Tennessee, location last week. The coffee chain claimed that the workers had violated company policies.

According to a quarterly earnings report released by Starbucks on Feb. 1, the first fiscal quarter for the company was very good. North American revenues were up 23 percent over the same period last year, to $5.7 billion.

"Moving forward, we are asking you to uphold your mission statement. 'Act with courage, challenge the status quo, and find new ways to grow the company and each other,'" the employees wrote. "We did. Now, we call on you to act in the best interest of your dedicated partners, and allow for a democratic vote to let our voices be heard."