Two More Starbucks Stores At Boston File For Union Election

(RTTNews) - Workers at two Starbucks cafes in Boston filed for union elections on Monday, thus becoming the third U.S outlet of the company to get together as a unit and fight elections.

The move follows a first-time ever win for Starbucks employees last week at a Buffalo, New York café when the vote was done in favor of forming the first union for baristas working at a company location under the Workers United New York, a branch of the Service Employees International Union. According to reports, elections results are awaited at another Buffalo cafe while a third café was against the Union formation. The organizing committees for the Commonwealth Avenue and Harvard Street cafes in Boston said in a letter addressed to Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson, "We see unions as the best way to make Starbucks a place to have a sustainable career and a true partnership." Johnson told CNBC that three other cafes in the Buffalo area had plans to form unions and some other stores are also expected to come to the elections.

The move to form union has been met with strict opposition by the Starbucks management. In both Buffalo and Mesa cafes, executives were sent to the location to persuade against the union formation. The Starbucks workers had called the management move "union busting". The company has always denied allegations that it was attempting to threaten or influence workers.

Ahead of the vote count in Buffalo, the coffee chain had asked to throw open the election to all 20 locations in the market and delay the count, although the National Labor Relations Board was on the side of the workers.