Arizona Starbucks Store Latest to Unionize

A Starbucks (Seattle) location in Mesa, Arizona, has voted in favor of forming a union, CNBC reports. This marks the coffee retailer’s third company-owned location to vote on forming a union.

Employees at the store reportedly voted 25 to three in favor of forming the union, which would be facilitated by a branch of the Services Employees International Union called Workers United.

All within the last six months, 100 different locations have filed to participate in union elections, including a second store in Mesa, Arizona. A Starbucks store in Buffalo, N.Y., was the first to win a union for its employees, and now three additional Buffalo area Starbucks have also cast their ballots. Starbucks appealed to the National Labor Relations Board which has led to a delay in the votes being counted.

In a statement, Liz Alanna, Shift Supervisor at the Mesa store, says, “We are excited and hopeful to start the bargaining process with Starbucks, but we also know that Starbucks is fighting us tooth and nail. We’re calling on Starbucks to stop their war against the labor movement and work with us, not against us.”