Starbucks workers in Rochester first in NH to vote to unionize, but what happens next?

ROCHESTER — Employees of Starbucks at the Ridge Marketplace shopping plaza felt "energized" after voting 10-4 to unionize Tuesday. But they also know they face a challenging road ahead as part of the national Starbucks Workers United movement.

"The morale is very high right now,” said Haley Bogardus, an employee, after the vote conducted by a National Labor Relations Board member.

“I'm just I'm so excited and I knew that we were going to win, but to have been present for it and to hear the announcement … I'm pretty sure everybody at the Ridge Marketplace heard us screaming when they came up and told us that yes, we did win,” said Holly Bogardus, Haley's sister and a shift supervisor at the store.

Employees at more than 300 Starbucks stores have voted to unionize, the Rochester store being the first in New Hampshire. Starbucks and the unions, however, have not reached any contract agreements.

“They're going to have to crack on that front soon,” Haley Bogardus said.

The company has faced charges of breaking labor laws and pressure from U.S. senators.

Starbucks spokesperson Andrew Trull stated: "To be clear: We respect the right of all partners to make their own decisions about union representation, and we are committed to engaging in good faith collective bargaining for each store where a union has been appropriately certified."

Workers around the nation and political leaders like Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont have questioned that claim of good faith.

Response to tragedy motivated Rochester employees to unionize

Haley and Holly Bogardus said Starbucks management actions following the death of a 21-year-old co-worker in a motor vehicle crash on Feb. 24 helped push them to unionize. They petitioned to unionize weeks later, leading to this week's vote.

The fatal accident took place on Route 11 in Farmington in inclement weather.

“We all got a phone call. He was one of the openers, and he was in an awful car wreck,” said Haley Bogardus. “They were telling everyone who was scheduled that day that they still expected us to be in that day. They closed for the short term when the people working got the phone call from his family, but they fully expected it to be opened back up by mid-day.”

Holly Bogardus said another employee was contacted by management that day to offer him the shifts of the deceased worker, without informing him his coworker had died.

In addition, Haley Bogardus said employees were told if they called out that day, they could not use sick time. They felt that was unfair, believing mourning workers needed and deserved mental health time away from work.

Two grief counseling sessions were held for employees, they acknowledged.

Holly said in one of the sessions employees were asked to raise their hand if they had driven on Route 11 since the accident took place.

“They advised everybody to do that as soon as possible so we can get over that fear so we can get back to work,” said Holly Bogardus.

The next time there was a storm, Haley Bogardus said, they received a group text from a manager, telling them to wake up early to shovel, because they were expected to be in the store working.

“I mentally could not continue showing up to work if we didn't have something like (a union) to work toward,” said Haley Bogardus. "I can think of no more extreme example of how little they value us or our mental health.”

More local news: The Ridge's new construction worth millions to Rochester. Here's what is expected next.

'Sip-in' served as rally days before union vote

On Saturday, May 20, Starbucks workers in Rochester held a “sip-in” event urging customers to show their support for employees' efforts to unionize.

“Right out the gate at 1 o'clock we had people coming in. The cafe was packed for a few hours,” said Holly Bogardus. “One person even told us that if we unionized, then they would probably start coming to Starbucks.”

“I would say it went very well because the goal was mostly visibility. And that was definitely accomplished,” added Haley Bogardus.

The event encouraged people to buy the least expensive drinks that Starbucks offers, in an effort to bring the store less revenue that day. Customers were encouraged to leave tips so the money would go directly to employees.

Holly Bogardus added that people were encouraged to order their drink under the name “Union Yes” or “Union Strong” or “Solidarity Forever.”

This was “to give baristas the opportunity to yell those things out into the cafe without management retaliating as easily,” said Holly Bogardus.

Haley Bogardus added that two district managers were present throughout the entire day, despite not being scheduled.

What do employees want to see change?

Haley Bogardus said a big change she would like to see is prioritization of worker safety in inclement weather.

“Especially in light of a coworker passing,” she said.

Another change she said will be reassuring to have under representation of the NLRB, is Weingarten rights. This ensures them the right to have a union representative assist them during investigatory interviews.

Holly Bogardus emphasized inconsistent staffing and hours.

"Currently, you have to work at least 12 hours and provide at least 18 hours of availability, or else they can fire you,” she said. “But they're also not staffing consistently, and they can put you on the schedule for less than the mandatory 12. So, they can put you at 10 hours repeatedly, and you can be fired for that even though it's out of your control and even though you are providing more availability.”

Trull, the Starbucks spokesperson, countered, stating employees "are not at risk of losing their job if they do not work an average of 12 hours per week during a quarter." He said they must be willing to work at least 12 hours per week and paid time off is included in the 12 hours. He also noted employees in the United States are paid an average of $17.50 per hour and no less than $15.

Starbucks Workers United is pushing for better starting pay with scaled adjustments for locations in higher-cost living areas, high-quality healthcare and zero tolerance policies for racial inequity and verbal and sexual harassment from customers, workers or managers.

Holly Bogardus said employees in Rochester also want to see progress toward higher staffing, equipment being fixed in a timely manner, and the ability to decide as a store to shut down avenues of revenue such as phone or app orders, or close the café, if equipment is not working or there isn’t enough staffing to support the demand.

“We’re not nearly at the end of it yet, it's still going to be a lot of grueling work, but it's a really solid first step,” Haley Bogardus said of the union vote.

The National Labor Relations Board has filed more than 80 complaints against Starbucks for violating federal labor laws, USA Today has reported. Charges included the illegal firing of Starbucks workers for working to form a union, employees collectively bargaining for benefits, and advocating for increased wages and better working conditions. There have been an additional 500-plus unfair labor practice charges against the company, according to a U.S. Senate committee.

Starbucks has repeatedly denied breaking labor laws and pointed to bargaining sessions with Starbucks Workers United groups in several U.S. cities as evidence of its good faith.

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Starbucks workers vote to unionize in Rochester, a first in NH