Starbucks workers launch rare campaign to form a union

Workers at three Starbucks coffee shops in the Buffalo area filed petitions Monday with the National Labor Relations Board asking for a vote on union representation, the latest development in a pandemic-era reckoning on wages and working conditions.

Employees at the stores told the New York Times they are seeking to organize under the Starbucks Workers United banner to address chronic problems such as understaffing, unpredictable scheduling and insufficient training. An organizing committee of four-dozen workers sent a letter last week to Starbucks president and CEO Kevin Johnson asking for assurances that employees who favor a union won't face reprisals.