KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On March 28, a Starbucks store in Knoxville became the fourth store in East Tennessee to unionize.
The store is located at 1938 Pinnacle Pointe Way, off the intersection of Northshore Drive and Pellissippi Pike. Their vote passed 14-6 and they joined other stores located in Knoxville and Alcoa to unionize.
"I think we owe it all to each other if I'm honest with you. I don't think any of us would have made it this far through the process without just the comradery that exists in our store," said Halle Harris, a Starbucks worker and organizer at the Pinnacle Pointe Way location.
The first store to unionize in the South was the location along Merchants Drive in North Knoxville.
Around the same time that Harris' store unionized, another Knoxville Starbucks worker testified before members of the U.S. Senate about working conditions at the company.
Maggie Carter spoke at the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. At the meeting, the group said that they faced "illegal retaliation" for organizing with Starbucks Workers United. According to a release, she said she faced threats while leading her store's unionization efforts.
“This is a chance for your company to stop its unprecedented campaign of union busting and instead partner with us, your so-called partners, and our union to build a company that truly lives up to its stated progressive values," Carter said in a release.
A Starbucks spokesperson said on April 11 that less than 3% of its company-owned stores in the U.S. chose to petition for a union representation election.
"Our focus has been to ensure that partners can trust the process is fair and their voice is heard," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the company has filed more than 100 Unfair Labor Practice charges against Workers United since Oct. 2022, accusing the union of breaking bargaining rules and "refusing to take a real seat at the table and for failing to bargain in good faith."
"These good faith efforts builds on actions dating back to Sept. 2022, when Starbucks sent letters to Workers United requesting that representatives for more than 200 stores meet us at the table to begin collective bargaining at each location with certified representation," the spokesperson said.