Workers at Paducah’s only Starbucks location successfully unionized this month. It’s the 10th store in Kentucky to organize under Starbucks Workers United (SBWU), which represents more than 550 franchises across America.
It took union organizers at the Hinkleville Road location roughly three months to reach a successful unionization vote after first filing an election notice with the National Labor Relations Board in August. The election was originally set for early October, but was delayed due to the federal government shutdown. The vote was ultimately held in early December, with 75% of workers voting to join the union.
Amber Matherne is a barista and member of the local union’s governing committee. During the months between the notice of election and the final vote, Matherne said she and some fellow workers experienced significant cuts in hours in what she argued was an attempt to deter unionization efforts.
“I went from 35 to 38 hours a week to 16 to 21… my checks were only enough to cover my insurance, and my bring home [pay] was enough to maybe buy three nights worth of food. I mean, it's a drastic cut for me,” Matherne said.
Matherne said the union’s primary purpose is to create a support system for other workers at the Paducah store who might experience similar unpredictable working conditions – not just to get a raise in pay.
“We do make good money, and we do have semi-good benefits, but when your hours get cut and you can't even take care of your family, that's where you have to have a support system,” Matherne said. “We did this [to have] each other's backs.”
The Paducah unionization comes amid efforts by SBWU to finalize a contract with Starbucks. SBWU members in nearly 150 cities across the country have been on strike since mid-November. The organization claims that Starbucks Corporation has failed to finalize a fair union contract, while also partaking in what they call “union busting” tactics through both its policies and mass store closures.
Matherne said she hopes the success at the Paducah location will prompt other stores in the region to consider unionizing, no matter the size of the store.
“I want other partners around us in different Starbucks to say, ‘hey, you're not alone. We stand together, and we can do this,’” Matherne said. “If we did this with just a short staff… then y'all can do it. You just have to build a strong structure to keep moving forward.”
Paducah is now the second city in western Kentucky to have a unionized Starbucks, joining Bowling Green. Workers at a Starbucks store in Madisonville also attempted to unionize, but their election vote in late September failed to pass.
