She felt unprepared to handle circumstances involving patrons who were unhoused or struggling with mental illness or substance use issues—difficulties that were exacerbated in the fallout from COVID-19. Tambellini says she even had to administer naloxone to reverse an opioid overdose. On top of how Starbucks handled the pandemic, she felt the company “just saw us as numbers.”
Late the following year, Tambellini’s fellow Starbucks baristas in Buffalo formed a union. Within a matter of months, Starbucks Workers United’s victory electrified workers across hundreds of Starbucks locations across the U.S.—including Tambellini. When she saw the success in Buffalo, it was clear the answer was unionizing. By the spring, she and her coworkers voted to join Starbucks Workers United.
The coffee workers are far from being outliers. During the pandemic, thousands of essential workers triggered a new era of organizing, as they realized the power they hold when they work together to improve their workplaces. Beyond the front lines, office workers began rethinking their relationship to their work. Millions quit their jobs during what became known as the Great Resignation. Others resorted to “quiet quitting.” Whether they’ve stayed or left, workers have become more “toxic aware”—recognizing their workplaces as unhealthy and realizing they deserve better.
The choice to unionize has grown increasingly common as workers transform their anger, frustration, and burnout into action. Though union representation still remains historically low, its popularity is on the rise. The number of workers represented by a union went up by 200,000 from 2021 to 2022, according to the Economic Policy Institute. And union election petitions to the National Labor Review Board rose by 53% between fiscal years 2021 and 2022—the highest increase since 2016.
