The Starbucks at Mount Williams Drive and 24th Avenue Northwest elected to unionize Thursday in a 15-2 store vote, becoming the second Starbucks in Norman and sixth in the state to unionize.
“The 24th Ave Mt Williams Dr & 24th Ave NW partners join a growing nationwide movement of more than 11,000 baristas working together to win workplace protections on core issues like living wages, respect, racial and gender equity, and fair scheduling and staffing,” read a press release from Starbucks Workers United.
Hayley Hawk has worked at the 24th Avenue Starbucks location for roughly six years and voted in favor of unionization. According to Hawk, the store has violated Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards multiple times.
“Our air conditioning stops working, we have mold in our store, pieces of a wall fall off or just not closing (the store) during really drastic disastrous events,” Hawk said.
In one instance when the air conditioning broke, Hawk said the store reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit and an employee almost fainted. Despite this, employees were required to continue working.
“We were still expected to stay open, and no customers even wanted to sit inside because it was just so hot,” Hawk said. “The food was melting — it was miserable.”
Hawk said employees faced some pushback from the company after expressing desire to unionize. According to Hawk, Starbucks corporate management sent the store flyers containing anti-union messaging, specifically that employees will not know what their benefits are if unionized.
“It just kept on,” Hawk said. “We kept on getting flyers, after flyers, after flyers, but ultimately I don't think it was effective at all considering our vote was 15-2.”
Hawk said the store did not close during tornado warnings and the March wildfire outbreaks. Though many employees were concerned about the fires, the store only closed after receiving a phone call from the Norman Fire Department instructing workers to evacuate, Hawk said.
“It took a call from the fire department to be like, ‘You gotta get out now,’ in order for us to actually close,” Hawk said.
Hawk voted to unionize to protect employee rights and deter harmful situations for employees from occurring. Joining a union also gives employees legal representation, which Hawk said could help protect from mismanagement.
“A big reason I personally wanted to unionize is because I wanted to have legal representation for the partners at our store,” Hawk said. “With non-union stores, I feel like it's a lot easier to have management stomp all over partners.”
The store’s unionization is part of a nationwide movement that began in 2021. Over 570 stores across the country have elected to unionize since then.
The press release highlights a “winning streak” of organizing since February 2024, when Starbucks and the union agreed to negotiate a framework that would guide bargaining and potentially settle legal disputes.
Employees at over 170 stores have since voted to join the union, the press release reads.
“Each union store is just another straw on the camel's back, and the more stores that unionize, the bigger the chances that Starbucks will buckle, and the bigger the chances we have more of a voice,” Hawk said.
This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure and Ismael Lele. Natalie Armour and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
