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Oklahoma City Starbucks becomes first in the state to unionize

The Starbucks on 23rd and Robinson in Oklahoma City became the state’s first store to win a union.
Elise Amendola
/
AP
The Starbucks on 23rd and Robinson in Oklahoma City became the state’s first store to win a union.

The national movement for Starbucks unionization had its first major victory in Oklahoma Tuesday.

Following a vote of 15-2, the Starbucks on 23rd and Robinson in Oklahoma City became the state’s first store to win a union.

Union committee organizer Collin Pollitt says having a union will give his fellow Starbucks employees - who the company refers to as “partners” - more agency.

"Today, we've truly become partners and are organizing for a more just labor structure where workers have a say in their workplace and earn a baseline living wage," said Pollitt.

Other union-supporting employees of the store say despite being on the receiving end of scare tactics from their district manager, their win was expected.

Pollitt says the union will now move on to the bargaining process.

The Robinson Avenue Starbucks location joins over 100 other locations across the country that have moved to unionize.

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Hannah France joined KGOU as a reporter in 2021, shortly after earning a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. In 2023, Hannah was the first place recipient of the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists' Radio Outstanding Reporter Portfolio award. Hannah reports on a variety of topics including criminal justice, housing, and labor rights and is dedicated to educating and empowering Oklahomans through community storytelling.
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