Those two successful union elections bring the total number of unionized Starbucks coffee shops in the Chicago area to 11. Within the city, two locations in Edgewater and one each in Bucktown, Hyde Park, Lakeview and North Park have voted for union representation. In addition to the locations in Skokie and Evanston, Starbucks stores in northwest suburban Cary, west suburban Elmhurst and north suburban Glenview have also unionized, as have downstate coffee shops in Carbondale and Peoria.
Unionization votes have failed at Starbucks coffee shops in Logan Square, the Loop, Willis Tower and west suburban La Grange. The NLRB has also charged Starbucks with a slew of labor law violations. Organizers said the company has pushed back aggressively against unionization, and accuse Starbucks of harassing, intimidating and illegally firing organizers. The company has consistently denied claims of union busting.
Union backers have for months accused the company of failing to bargain in good faith with locations that have voted to organize.