West Side Albuquerque Starbucks workers file petition to unionize

A Starbucks coffee shop in Albuquerque could become the second store of the chain to unionize in New Mexico.

Workers with the Starbucks at 9965 Coors Bypass NW filed a petition to unionize on Thursday, according to the National Labor Relations Board. If successful, the store would join more than 500 other unionized Starbucks locations in the U.S.

“We are unionizing because we’re living paycheck to paycheck while being expected to meet unrealistic goals with too few people on the floor,” said Kristal Martinez, a barista trainer at the Coors coffee shop.

Baristas aren’t alone in their attempts to form a union. The Starbucks workers’ filing is one of eight other petitions filed before the NLRB this month in New Mexico, from postal workers to musicians.

Workers at the Coors location would make the store the second Starbucks in New Mexico to unionize if they vote in favor, joining workers from the location at 1000 Rio Grande NW. New Mexico became the 34th state in the nation to unionize the chain when workers voted in favor of it in 2022.

Starbucks workers at the time hoped it would set off a chain of Starbucks unionizations in New Mexico, but only one other location — other than the latest filing from the Coors store — has attempted to form a union. A store in Santa Fe filed a petition in August 2022 but withdrew it a month later.

The Coors store has 18 workers — full-time and part-time baristas and shift supervisors — who can vote for or against forming a union, according to the NLRB. Store managers, office clericals, supervisors and guards can’t vote.

At least 30% of employees had to support the union petition before it could be filed, according to the NLRB. Now, Starbucks and Starbucks Workers United — the group leading the campaign — need to agree on when to hold the certifying election, where a majority of votes in favor of a union would make it official.

In a statement to the Journal, Starbucks spokesperson Phil Gee said the chain respects its employees’ “right to choose, through a fair and democratic process, to be represented by a union or not to be represented by a union and will continue to work together to make Starbucks the best job in retail.”

Martinez said workers, through unionizing, aim to secure more hours, fair treatment and wages that keep up with inflation. Store management expects workers to meet goals around sales and drive-thru wait times, she said, but there aren’t enough baristas on the floor at one time to do that.

Martinez said she’s hopeful other workers will support the move to unionize.

“I think people are really excited about what we can achieve together with a union,” Martinez said.