Lynbrook Starbucks workers petition NLRB to hold union vote

Workers at a Lynbrook Starbucks have joined a national campaign of hundreds of the coffee chain’s locations and submitted a petition seeking a unionization vote.

A majority of the nearly 30 employees at the store, located at 839 Sunrise Hwy., signed and submitted union cards to the National Labor Relations Board Friday afternoon. The employees are seeking to be recognized as part of Workers United New York New Jersey Regional Board, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union.

With the petition, the Lynbrook store has become the sixth Starbucks location on the Island to see a push for a union since February 2022.

Workers at stores in Massapequa, Westbury, Farmingville and Wantagh voted to unionize last year. At a store in Great Neck, workers petitioned for a union vote but narrowly turned down the option to unionize, a result Workers United has challenged with the NLRB, alleging that management engaged in unfair labor practices.

Starbucks representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

Valley Stream resident Ana Martinez, 20, a barista and organizer at the Lynbrook location, said since she started working at the store in mid-2021 she's seen workers promised promotions not receive them, issues with safety protocols in the store, and management threaten to fire employees who voiced concerns.

The part-time worker and full-time student at FIT said that because the store is a drive-thru location, serving both customers in the store lobby and those in their cars,  stress levels and turnover are high, which made organizing a challenge.

“Seeing people come and go because of the stress of the job, and not having pay reflect the work that they’re doing...made me feel like there was a strong need for a union," Martinez said. “I just want this union to be able to protect my fellow partners and my friends."

The local labor push is part of a larger initiative across the country that began after two Buffalo locations successfully voted to unionize last fall.

To date, more than 270 Starbucks stores across 37 states have voted to unionize, while more than 60 stores voted against, according to statistics from More Perfect Union, a labor organizing non-profit. Over 350 stores nationwide have petitioned for a union election.

Starbucks has 100 locations on Long Island, not including those located inside Target or Barnes & Noble stores, according to both counties' health department records. The chain has about 9,000 company-owned locations nationwide.