HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Baristas at the Bell Creek Starbucks in Mechanicsville have filed for a union election, joining a growing national movement of workers demanding better wages, fair scheduling and improved working conditions. On Tuesday, March 25, baristas at the Bell Creek Starbucks lo cation filed a petition for a union election in a major move signaling the continued momentum of the nationwide Starbucks Workers United (SWU) campaign. “I have felt helpless and voiceless in my store under Starbucks for too long. Forming a union would give me and the partners in my store our voice back,” said Haley Porter (she/her), a shift supervisor of three years. “I have always loved coffee. The care and the craft that goes into it is what brings me back in everyday. I want Starbucks to give their baristas the resources we need to deliver care to our customers rather than another year of ‘record profits’ to pad the CEO’s pockets. Starbucks calls its employees ‘partners,’ it is time they recognize us as such.”  According to Starbucks Workers United, the baristas at Bell Creek are seeking to join over 11,000 fellow workers at more than 550 locations across 45 states and D.C. who have successfully unionized. Since February 2024, peer-to-peer organizing has led over 150 stores to vote in favor of joining the union, with recent victories spanning from Maine to Texas and even at Starbucks’ headquarters in Seattle. “I was driven to organize my store by the collective voices of my partners. We have all experienced issues with staffing, scheduling, and wages; and after enough shared grievances were brought to our attention, we could not be silent any longer,” said Jonathan Mueller (he/they), a shift supervisor of three years. “We are writing labor history with every store we organize and I’m so excited to show other partners what we can win when we stand together as a testament to worker power.”  This filing comes as Starbucks and Workers United are scheduled to resume bargaining with the help of a mediator. The move follows a period of heightened union activity, including the largest strike in Starbucks history on Christmas Eve, where 5,000 baristas shut down over 300 stores. In January, Workers United filed over 90 unfair labor practice charges after Starbucks reneged on agreements related to organizing and bargaining, while Park Slope baristas staged a strike alongside community leaders to demand fair contracts. For more information on the Starbucks Workers United movement and upcoming actions, visit the website. ...read more read less