Employees at the Route 40 Starbucks in Ellicott City have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to unionize with Starbucks Workers United.
In a letter to Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan, the Ellicott City Starbucks employees explained that their decision to file for unionization, "stems from the ongoing scheduling conflicts and insufficient hours allocation that have negatively impacted our work experience."
The employees wrote in part:
The transgender partners in our store have been demoralized by Starbucks' unilateral decision to modify their supplemental transgender health coverage, a decision that left us with fewer options for treatment of our gender dysphoria.
"Those of us that are planning to utilize this coverage were also informed of this decision, leaving us scrambling to find new providers, often at a higher cost than we had anticipated paying prior to the change," the letter continued.
Two-year partner at the Ellicott City store, Anja Alden believes they can't truly be partners until all employees have a seat at the table.
"We're tired of being divided and pitted against each other. We are coming together to ensure that our interests are represented. The drive for profit above all else has left us and our customers feeling disregarded," Alden said.
The NLRB has issued over 80 official complainants, encompassing over 1,400 violations against the company.
The Ellicott City Starbucks will be joining over 300 other Starbucks stores in 38 states across the country that have successfully unionized.