AVONDALE, AZ — A renewed push for workers' right on Labor Day that has created an uptick in union votes around the nation.
During the first nine months of the federal 2022 fiscal year, it saw petition efforts to unionize rise nearly 60% nationwide and 50% in Arizona, according to the National Labor Relations Board.
“The nature of work has changed, and I feel that workers feel now more than ever the need to be able to come together to provide that strength that unity and numbers provide to negotiate with those companies,” said Fred Yamashita, the executive director of the Arizona American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFI-CIO).
The Arizona AFI-CIO is the largest federation in Arizona representing more than 185,000 union members through more than 200 local unions.
In Avondale Monday, a group of women working for Starbucks went outside to tell customers and the community about their efforts in unionizing and the work of getting a contract with the company.
Naomi Martinez led the organization of the union at the store near 107th Avenue and Indian School Road. Martinez said they filed a petition in March and then it was unionized in May with a vote of 17 to 3. Martinez said they’re just now waiting for the contract.
That Starbucks location is the fourth in the state to unionize. The first was a store in Mesa, which was also the third in the nation for a Starbucks store.
“It’s pretty exciting. When I think about it, I’m shocked. Our store unionized in May, so that was about six or seven months into the whole movement,” Martinez continued. “I’m really proud that we were brave enough to do it while it was still kind of fresh, and I think our store really is a great example of a strong unionized store.”
Martinez feels operations have changed since they unionized, saying there is a “solidarity” at their store now, adding that the union fee is worth it for the pay.
“Dues don’t go past anything around $20 a paycheck. When you’re paying into having the legal backing of union, you’re paying for a totally different environment in your store,” she added.
More Americans are also approving of labor unions. According to a recent Gallup Poll, 71% of those surveyed say they approve of unions. That’s up from 68% in 2021. This year’s numbers are at the highest point in 57 years.
It is important to note that Arizona is a right-to-work state. Both Martinez and Cassidy Elliott feel it’s important and worth it to go through a union.
“Maybe it doesn’t work for me, or maybe it’s a lot of work, but I’d like to put the work in to make sure our future generations have a solid work environment where they don’t have to worry about if they’re going to get paid enough or they’re going to make enough hours to pay their rent,” said Elliott, Martinez’s co-worker.
Both Elliott and Martinez say people should speak up if they’re thinking about unionizing. Martinez said people are being “fearmongered” and are fearful of creating unions because of their companies.
“The more I learned, the more I realized that we have a lot more power than we think. It’s a lot less scary,” Elliott added.
Starbucks sent a statement in response saying:
“Any anti-union claims are categorically false. We are listening and learning from partners in these stores as we always do across the country. From the beginning, we’ve been clear in our belief that we’re better together as partners without a union between us, and that conviction has not changed. We respect our partners’ rights to organize and are committed to following the NLRB process.”
