Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Starbucks founder Howard Schultz was in Buffalo Saturday evening meeting with local Starbucks employees who have made headlines recently with their efforts to unionize three local stores.
"Today, I am writing to you from Buffalo, New York," wrote Schultz in a letter posted to the company website following his visit at the Hyatt in downtown Buffalo.
"My purpose here has been to listen and learn. And to share with our partners – so many here who are new to the company – about the values and principles that have served as our foundation."
Workers were alerted to the 'Partner Event' session and area Starbucks were closed early to allow any associates to attend the event featuring Schultz.
Recently, workers hoping to unionize Starbucks stores won a preliminary victory before the National Labor Relations Board.
The board said employees at three separate Starbucks stores in Buffalo can hold union elections in November in a new ruling. The board rejected Starbucks' attempt to hold a single vote with 20 stores in the region.
If the effort is successful, the stores would be the first of Starbucks' 8,000 company-owned U.S. stores to unionize. The Seattle coffee giant opposes the unionization effort.
In his letter, Schultz addressed many of the concerns Starbucks associates have raised and stated he felt the company was already addressing those without any union representation.
"What the leadership team has done in Buffalo is what we have always done," wrote Schultz. "We listen. We learn. We get better together. No partner has ever needed to have a representative seek to obtain things we all have as partners at Starbucks. And I am saddened and concerned to hear anyone thinks that is needed now."
The NLRB said the union elections will be held by mail-in ballot between Nov. 10 and Dec. 8. The NLRB will count the ballots on Dec. 9.
There are about 128 employees at the three stores that will vote, according to the NLRB decision.
"It's been disappointing to see Starbucks working overtime to try to stop us from organizing, but today's decision is a big win and soon we're going to have an even bigger victory when we vote our union in," said Michelle Eisen, an 11-year veteran of Starbucks in Buffalo and a member of Starbucks Workers United, the union organizing group.
Starbucks Workers United has the backing of the broader Workers United union, which represents 86,000 U.S. and Canadian workers in food service, textiles and other industries. Workers United is an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union.
The Starbucks unionization effort comes amid a broader wave of union activity around the U.S. More than 10,000 Deere & Co. workers went on strike earlier this month after the United Auto Workers rejected a contract offer, while 1,400 workers walked off the job at Kellogg Co.'s U.S. cereal plants.
