Amazon, Starbucks elections spur unions, NLRB

Surprising victories for unions at the giant Amazon warehouse in New York and at numerous Starbucks outlets throughout the country have given new energy to the union movement. They also have animated the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to issue ever-more aggressive positions.

Amazon, Starbucks victories

The union victory at Amazon shook up both the online retailer and “old-school” unions. The Amazon workers, without affiliation with any existing union, pulled off a stunning win. Funded on a shoestring and without either the experience or organizational support of an experienced union team, former and current workers at the warehouse not only won an easy victory but also have changed how future union organizing will be mounted.

Campaigns generated and managed by workers from the worksite have succeeded at a time when union wins are rarely found. As a result, organizing campaigns run by union professionals, foreign to the workers and the workplace, may no longer be the standard model.

The situation at Starbucks reflects a similar belief, although in a radically different setting. Starbucks is known for its “progressive” policies, offering some of the best pay and benefits available for similar jobs. The demands on the workers during the pandemic, however, fueled a nationwide movement for forming unions at small, highly motivated units, with successes at nearly all the stores where elections have been held. Currently, 130 of the 9,000 Starbucks stores have filed union election petitions.