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Recode Daily

The first Starbucks union

Recode Daily

Recode

Science, Technology, Society & Culture

4.61.3K Ratings

🗓️ 14 December 2021

⏱️ 9 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

A Starbucks in Buffalo, New York, recently became the first company-owned store in the US to unionize. Recode’s Rani Molla explains the historic vote and what it means for workers everywhere. Read Rani’s story: https://www.vox.com/recode/22825850/starbucks-union-first-organizing-vote-nlrb Today’s episode was produced by Taylor Maycan, engineered by Melissa Pons (Hemlock Creek Productions), and hosted by Adam Clark Estes. Support Recode Daily by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:40.8

It's Rico Daily, I'm Adam Clark Estas. And this is the moment when a group of people

0:46.6

who work at Starbucks made history.

0:57.0

Rico's Ronnie Mola is here to explain.

1:00.0

Last week workers at a Starbucks in Buffalo, New York voted to form a union.

1:05.0

They were frustrated by overstaffing and under training of their workers and they ultimately

1:10.0

voted to unionize here.

1:12.0

The National Labor Relations Board says workers voted 19 to 8.

1:17.0

That makes them the first corporate Starbucks location to inform the union ever, which is a really big deal.

1:24.0

Now, this vote has implications for workers everywhere, but it's an especially big deal for those who work in industries like food service and hospitality and leisure.

1:33.0

People don't usually think of unions in those industries.

1:37.0

A brista at a Buffalo Starbucks said, my dad is in the teachers union and when I thought of unions before I thought of teachers and construction workers,

1:45.0

I never really thought about it for, you know, Starbucks or baristas, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.

1:51.0

You know, why shouldn't I have the same benefits and quality of life that other workers do?

1:58.0

Got it.

1:59.0

And I feel like Starbucks really puts a lot of effort into seeming like it's a good place to work because of pressure from labor shortages and this union effort in Buffalo starting next year.

2:09.0

All of their hourly employees will make at least $15 an hour and can make as much as $23 an hour.

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