MESA, Ariz. — Union plans are on pause for Mesa Starbucks workers at the coffee shop near Powerline and Baseline roads.
The National Labor Relations Board decided on Wednesday to delay the previously scheduled vote count.
The vote was delayed after Starbucks requested a review of the NLRB’s decision to only allow workers at the shop to vote. A new date for the vote count hasn’t been set yet.
The decision left Starbucks workers in Mesa frustrated.
“It’s not a surprise from Starbucks. They have been doing delaying tactics and anti-union vetting all the time,” employee Tyler Ralston said.
In a written response, Starbucks tells 12 News:
“Our position since the beginning has been that all partners in a market or district deserve the right to vote. In January, we asked the NLRB to review its decision to only allow partners in our Power & Baseline store to vote, as this decision impacts all partners in the district. We made this request in a timely manner and had every expectation that the NLRB would have ruled on our request before the count today. Today, the NLRB impounded the ballots because they hadn’t issued a decision yet on that request.”
If the Starbucks location votes “yes” to the union, it would be the third Starbucks location to do so.
Workers from Buffalo, New York, the first Starbucks location to unionize, were at the expected vote on Wednesday.
"This really makes this a national campaign and this is just a delayed victory,” said Michelle Eisen, an employee at the Buffalo Starbucks location.
“We will be the third store. We know we have a great chance to win,” said Ralston.
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