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Unanimous vote makes Starbucks in South Eugene the first store in Oregon to unionize

Jake LaMourie, a barista with the South Eugene Starbucks on Willamette Street (shown in inset), shortly after today's vote approved the formation of a union at his store.
Brian Bull
/
KLCC
Jake LaMourie, a barista with the South Eugene Starbucks on Willamette Street (shown in inset), shortly after today's vote approved the formation of a union at his store.

Oregon’s first union for Starbucks workers has been unanimously approved by South Eugene employees. The Willamette Street store’s workers watched the vote count today.

The vote was streamed from the National Labor Relations Board. When all 17 votes cast approved forming a union, the group of workers erupted into cheers, hugs, and high-fives.

Roughly 20 Starbucks workers and allies respond to the unanimous approval of a union today in the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation building.
Brian Bull
/
KLCC
Roughly 20 Starbucks workers and allies respond to the unanimous approval of a union today in the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation building.

Jake LaMourie is a barista who helped organize the union push during the winter. He’s delighted the South Eugene Starbucks is Oregon’s first to unionize.

“There’s a bunch more behind us in Eugene, and a bunch more in Portland, we’re so excited to get to work on a contract, and so glad that this went through.”

LaMourie told KLCC that working out their first contract with the Starbucks Corporation is the next step…which could take a year, perhaps longer.

“I think seniority pay, base pay raise, beyond that we’ve been talking about sort of expanding the insurance program, making sure we’re more thoroughly insured. Paid time off, I think there’s a lot on the table, and a lot of conversations that we need to have.”

All eight of the corporate-owned Starbucks stores in Eugene have filed petitions to unionize. Vote counts for the remaining seven will be held April 28th and May 5th.

In a release, Workers United said "this victory puts the total number of stores represented by Workers United to 20, with 180 more stores slated to vote in the coming months." The release also stated that a Pittsburgh Starbucks voted to unionize today, with 20 employees unanimously approving the move.

A request for comment to Starbucks has not yet been responded to.

Copyright @2022, KLCC.

Brian Bull is an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Oregon, and remains a contributor to the KLCC news department. He began working with KLCC in June 2016.   In his 27+ years as a public media journalist, he's worked at NPR, Twin Cities Public Television, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, Wisconsin Public Radio, and ideastream in Cleveland. His reporting has netted dozens of accolades, including four national Edward R. Murrow Awards (22 regional),  the Ohio Associated Press' Best Reporter Award, Best Radio Reporter from  the Native American Journalists Association, and the PRNDI/NEFE Award for Excellence in Consumer Finance Reporting.
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