West Hartford Starbucks Sets Union Vote Date: Report

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Corbin's Corner Starbucks employees will begin voting on whether to unionize the West Hartford coffee shop next week, the Hartford Courant reported.

The by-mail election will begin on Monday, May 23, the Courant said, citing Starbucks employee and union activist Kuzco Gong.

Ballots are slated to be counted at 1 p.m. on June 9, with the results likely being announced later that afternoon, the Courant said.

Corbin's Corner Starbucks employees first announced their union campaign in April, citing low wages, shifting COVID-19 policies and unstable hours in a letter to Starbucks President and CEO Howard Schultz.

"A good portion of our staff has had to pick up second or even third jobs just to make ends meet," the letter reads. "We are constantly cutting hours, yet understaffed at peak times, constantly hiring new partners, while present partners struggle to meet the minimum 20 hours a week for benefits."

The letter, which Twitter account SBWorkersUnited posted, was signed by 14 Corbin's Corner Starbucks partners — the company's word for its employees — and it cited the support of "other partners who have chosen to remain anonymous" as well.

Read more:

• Union Movement Afloat At West Hartford Starbucks: Report
• Starbucks Unionization Group Touting Efforts In West Hartford