photo credit: Noah Abrams/KRCB
The downtown Petaluma Starbucks location on Petaluma Boulevard is the first Starbucks in
Sonoma County to vote to unionize.

Across California, and the country, Starbucks employees have been organizing as part of the Starbucks Workers United union.

Since December of 2021, the coffee chain giant has seen store after store vote in union elections.

Over 460 locations across 42 states, according to the organization, More Perfect Union.

Employees, or as Starbucks calls them, "partners" have voted yes to a union in a vast majority of the elections held, including downtown Petaluma.

"Every partner in our store voted to unionize," Sara Charbonnier said. "Which is really exciting that it was a sweep."

Charbonnier is an employee at the Starbucks on Petaluma Boulevard, who is helping lead the union drive.

She is one of 12 who voted unanimously to unionize. 

Sol Helm, another longtime employee at the downtown Petaluma location, started the union drive with the help of Starbucks Workers United, the national union formed by Starbucks employees.

"After hearing from a lot of my partners over the years, not just from the problems we were having in our store, but overall, there was a sentiment for pro-union action," Helm said. "So I decided to reach out and get the ball rolling."

Charbonnier said the union effort isn't only about securing fair compensation and working conditions.

"Over the years, we've just seen a slide of not just being able to do our jobs and having the right amount of payroll and coverage, but also like our service to our customers," Charbonnier said. "We're in the downtown location, and so we have a lot of local business owners. We have a ton of regulars, and we've just noticed it's been harder and harder to connect. I mean, you go in to Starbucks, you pay a lot of money for a cup of coffee, and you aren't just paying for a cup of coffee. Starbucks preaches the third place, and what's happening is that's slowly unwinding as I think profitability has become more of a priority."

Labor law violations have been a frequent feature in the fight to unionize Starbucks locations across the country. Helm said employees at the downtown Petaluma store see the same aggressive anti-union effort from Starbucks.

"Oh, yeah, absolutely," Helm said. "We had upper management in more often than I've ever seen them in before, ever. Our manager was pulling people aside to have conversations with them on the clock, also leaving us understaffed at times. They also put up a lot of anti-union rhetoric in our back rooms, even to the point of blatantly telling us to vote no."

In the face of the dissuasion effort, Charbonnier said the 12-0 vote sends a clear message.

"This is something that the workers want and they're asking for, and I don't think Starbucks should be afraid of it," Charbonnier said. "Most businesses, and when you make a deal with somebody, it operates under a contract. And a contract is to protect both interests of both parties, and why wouldn't workers have contracts for their workplace? We're selling our labor to a company who is profiting from our labor, and so all we ask is that we have a contract."

Charbonnier said she also feels the company's anti-union stance has created a wedge between local managers and employees.

"I feel like Starbucks has really sort of made them feel like the union is against them," Charbonnier said. "We actually like our managers, they work really hard, and so it's sad to see that because they feel like they're scared."

Both Helm and Charbonnier said their effort in Petaluma is about doing what's best for everyone.

"We want to feel seen and heard by our company so that we can keep showing up and doing our job to the best of our ability because we really do love our customers and we really do love our jobs," Helm said.

"And ultimately, we really want the means to be able to fulfill the promises that Starbucks puts out there in their mission statements," Charbonnier said. "And that's really what we're asking for."

The downtown Petaluma Starbucks is the first out of more than 40 Starbucks locations in Sonoma County to unionize and the 31st store in California to do so.

Asked what the union could mean for customers, Charbonnier said:

"We're gonna serve you that same great cup of coffee and the same smile that we always have," Charbonnier said. 

Requests for comment from Starbucks and store management at the downtown Petaluma store were not returned, but in a surprising and major reversal for the company after two years fighting unionization at its U.S stores, Starbucks announced on December 8th it’s committed to bargaining with its unionized workers and reaching labor agreements next year.