"We want to be able to negotiate our working conditions": this is the leitmotif of the baristas and managers of these cafes located in Buffalo and involved in the organizing committee of the union, called "Starbucks Workers United" (SWU).

About fifty of them officially filed an application at the end of August.

The ballots were sent to all employees on November 10 and they had until Wednesday to respond.

The count will begin Thursday a priori at 1:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. GMT), online, under the aegis of the agency responsible for labor law (NLRB) in the United States.

If the "yes" wins in at least one of the three establishments despite the great means deployed by Starbucks to oppose it, it would be the first time that a union has been created in a café managed directly by the company in the United States.

Like the unionization attempt at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama in the spring, the Starbucks worker campaign has gained attention far beyond the streets of Buffalo.

It reflects the discontent of employees determined to fight, at a time when the dynamics of the labor market are favorable to them, notes Cedric de Leon, specialist in workers' movements at Massachusetts Amherst University.

While many employers are struggling to recruit, "the bargaining power of employees is very high at the moment," he told AFP.

This can be seen in the organization of strikes, such as that carried out by 10,000 employees of tractor manufacturer John Deere for five weeks in October and November, or in the resignations, some 4.2 million Americans having again decided in October to quit their job.

"Psychological warfare"

In Buffalo, campaign organizers are optimistic.

The pandemic was undoubtedly a trigger, employees believing they had not received enough support to cope with the new health requirements, notes Michelle Eisen, hired more than 10 years ago at Starbucks.

"But the working conditions had started to deteriorate before," says the young woman, who deplores, for example, that she is barely paid more than a newcomer, despite her seniority.

The pro-union are all the more motivated as Starbucks, which usually prides itself on its progressive policies, has shown resistance.

The group, which recently announced an increase in its minimum wage to $ 15 an hour, did not respond to AFP's requests.

But according to employees, management has sent around 200 more managers and managers to the region since August, to supervise teams and try to convince hesitant employees.

Iconic former boss Howard Schultz even came to host a meeting in early November.

Starbucks has also launched a legal battle, asking first that the 20 establishments in the area vote together, then asking that the rejection of this first request be invalidated.

In vain.

Campaign organizers expect recourse once the results are known, especially on the number of employees allowed to vote.

Starbucks, they said, rushed to hire new employees as soon as their application was filed.

Between the attempts to obstruct, the permanent presence of new leaders and the multiple meetings, emails and texts encouraging them to vote "no", "we are facing a psychological war", estimated James Skretta in early December.

But all these intimidation tactics have "rather made people swing in favor of the union", assures this barista.

"If the group is so worried about the arrival of a union in three cafes out of the nearly 9,000 it manages in the country, it is because it could trigger a wave within the company" , notes Cedric de Leon.

Employees at three other coffee shops in Buffalo as well as one establishment in Arizona recently asked to be able to organize votes to join the SWU.

© 2021 AFP