Local Starbucks workers push to unionize

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May 6th, 2022

Pro-union pins sit on a table during a watch party for Starbucks' employees union election, Dec. 9, 2021, in Buffalo, N.Y. On Monday, Jan. 10, 2022, the National Labor Relations Board confirmed that a second Starbucks store near Buffalo has voted to unionize, one of a growing number of the coffee chain’s stores seeking to organize workers. (AP Photo/Joshua Bessex)

Page Smith, the shift supervisor for Starbucks and lead organizer for the Starbucks Workers United, is on the front lines advocating for the Starbucks on Howell Mill to be unionized.

Employees at the Howell Mill location in Atlanta are among dozens of branches nationwide voting to unionize—fighting several changes, including higher wages and stronger benefits.

On  Friday’s edition of “Closer Look,” Smith talked with program host Rose Scott about the unionization process and what’s next as Howell Mill employees wait for the results that will determine if the store will be able to create a union.

“We are really hoping that this movement will not only make Starbucks a better place to work for the employees that work there but also potentially other industries that are adjacent to us better places to work,” explained Smith.  

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