4 Starbucks stores in Ann Arbor vote to unionize, and a 5th votes against it

Baristas at four Starbucks stores in Ann Arbor overwhelmingly voted to form a union Tuesday, and employees at a fifth store voted against it.

On Thursday, five Starbucks stores in Clinton Township, East Lansing, Flint, Grand Blanc, and Lansing are set to vote on unionizing.

Since December, 135 Starbucks stores in 28 states have voted to unionize nationwide, according to A More Perfect Union, a nonprofit that tracks labor unions.

A Starbucks store in Grand Rapids was the first to vote to unionize in Michigan last month.

Here are the stores that voted to unionize in Ann Arbor, with the vote tallies:

• 300 S. Main St. (10-3)
• 120 S. Zeeb Road (10-2)
• 222 S. State St. (15-1)
• 4585 Washtenaw Ave. (14-0)

A Starbucks at 1214 S. University Ave. voted against unionizing with a 10-6 vote.

The labor movement among baristas has spread beyond Starbucks. In Detroit, employees at Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Co. went on strike in February as part of a move to unionize.

This story first ran in the Detroit Metro Times. Subscribe to their newsletters, and follow them on Google News, Apple News, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, or TikTok.