Salt Lake City Starbucks becomes second store in Utah to unionize

SALT LAKE CITY — Employees with a Salt Lake City Starbucks became the second store in Utah to unionize after unanimously winning a union election, 9-0, with the National Labor Relations Board on Tuesday.

Employees of the Starbucks, located at 421 East 400 South, observed the vote count at the Salt Lake Liberation Center. After the vote, employees walked back down to the store to celebrate. 

“I’m just excited that our hard work paid off,” said Kit Grob, a shift supervisor and union organizer. “And I’m hoping that others take this as a sign to get their workplaces together.”

As a result of the move to unionize, this Starbucks is the second in the state to elect Workers United International Union as their representative in the workplace.

Another employee says, in a news release, the move to become a union will unite and support all of the employees at the Salt Lake City coffee shop.

“This process has given us an opportunity to be educated on our rights as workers and to support each other as a store,” said Katherine Howard. “We deserve to work in a safe work environment. This unanimous vote showed how united we are and how much support we have.

In June, a Starbucks in Cottonwood Heights became the first in Utah to unionize. Earlier this month, employees at that Starbucks spent a day on strike, forcing that store to close early.

Currently, roughly 300 Starbucks across the country have started the unionization process.

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