Starbucks workers in Independence become the first in Missouri to vote for a union

Workers at Starbucks in Independence said they hope to bargain for better working conditions and wage increases.
Starbucks workers at 39th Street in Independence voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to become the first Missouri store in the giant coffee shop chain to unionize.

Baristas and shift supervisors at the café voted 17-3 in favor of organizing to bargain with the multinational coffee company as members of the Chicago & Midwest Regional Joint Board of Workers United.

A group of workers gathered at the store on Tuesday afternoon to watch the result of their vote, which was read live from an office of the National Labor Relations Board.

CJ Miller, a barista at the café, said the outcome means workers at that location moved one step closer to forming a bargaining unit to negotiate pay and benefits with their bosses.