Editor's note: Updated 1:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26 to include Starbucks' statement.
By a vote of 11 to 5, workers at the 631 S. Glenstone Ave. Starbucks Coffee shop in Springfield voted to unionize this week. It’s the first Starbucks store in Springfield to unionize and the eighth one in Missouri, according to a press release. More than 200 Starbucks locations nationwide have unionized since December 2021.
In a statement, local store employees said, “Knowing that we were the first to do this [in Springfield] is so empowering.”
On Friday, Starbucks provided KSMU with a written statement that said in part, "From the beginning, we’ve been clear in our belief that we are better together as partners, without a union between us, and that conviction has not changed. We respect our partner’s right to organize and are committed to following the [National Labor Relations Board] process.”
