Workers at the Starbucks at Highway 9 and Classen Boulevard in Norman have officially joined the national union wave, voting 17–9 on Thursday to unionize with Starbucks Workers United after months of organizing around chronic understaffing and short, inconsistent shifts. The store’s win adds a fresh local chapter to a nationwide campaign that kicked off in late 2021.
Local Win Confirmed
According to KOKH/OKC FOX, the Highway 9 and Classen store backed unionization in a 17–9 vote on Thursday. The outlet reports that the Norman location is the seventh Starbucks in Oklahoma to secure union representation and that its victory helps push the national total of organized stores into the hundreds. The station also noted that the outcome lands in the middle of ongoing strikes and contentious bargaining at other unionized Starbucks shops across the country.
“I’m really excited to see how, together, we can get back to Starbucks’ original mission of providing a third place and valuing its partners,” barista Jack Mackay told KOKH/OKC FOX. Workers said the outcome capped weeks of organizing conversations on the shop floor, supported by community allies who rallied behind the effort.
Where the Movement Stands Nationally
Starbucks Workers United reports that its campaign has now notched union election wins at nearly 700 Starbucks locations across the United States, a number organizers highlight as evidence of growing momentum as contract talks continue. On its corporate site, Starbucks says that about 5% of its U.S. company-owned coffeehouses currently have union representation and that the company will “engage in good faith collective bargaining” where workers choose to unionize.
What Organizers Say They Want…