Ypsilanti Starbucks location becomes 10th in state to vote in favor of unionizing

A Starbucks store in Ypsilanti on Friday became the 10th in Michigan whose workers voted to unionize amid a broader organizing effort sweeping across the coffee giant's U.S. stores.

Workers at the store at 3650 Carpenter Road voted 15-2 in favor of the union, according to a ballot count conducted Friday by the National Labor Relations Board. The parties have one week to file objections; the NLRB must then certify the results.

The vote marks another victory for Workers United, the union under which workers at dozens of Starbucks stores across the country have organized. Workers have said they're organizing to negotiate better wages, benefits and working conditions, issues that gained greater attention during the coronavirus pandemic. The movement gained momentum after a store in Buffalo, N.Y., in December became the first corporate-owned Starbucks location to unionize.

The union celebrated the win in Ypsilanti in a tweet on Friday, saying that "workers are fed up and voting union YES."

Workers at nearly 160 Starbucks stores in 30 states have won union elections, 23 have lost and employees at nearly 300 stores in 35 states have filed to unionize as of Thursday, according to a map by the progressive nonprofit media outlet More Perfect Union.

Last week, workers at four Starbucks stores in Ann Arbor and four others in Clinton Township, Flint, East Lansing and Lansing also voted to unionize. The union lost two votes at locations in Ann Arbor and Grand Blanc. A store in Grand Rapids in May became the first in the state to unionize.

The other Michigan stores that have opted for union representation are located at:

• 17410 Hall Road, Clinton Township
• 1141 East Grand River Ave., East Lansing
• 2624 Lake Lansing Road, Lansing
• 3243 Miller Road, Flint
• 222 South State St., Ann Arbor
• 120 S. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor
• 300 S. Main Street, Ann Arbor
• 4585 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor

Starbucks, which has opposed union campaigns at its stores, did not immediately respond to a request for comment but has said in previous statements that it is "committed to following the NLRB process."

jgrzelewski@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @JGrzelewski