Encinitas Starbucks becomes first in San Diego County to unionize

ENCINITAS, Calif. -- Workers at a Starbucks in Encinitas have voted to unionize, becoming the first store in San Diego County to join nationwide efforts to better working conditions at the coffee franchise.

The vote to unionize the Starbucks, located right off the Interstate 5 near Leucadia Boulevard, took place Friday -- a little over a month after the process was initiated by a petition filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

All full-time and part-time baristas and shift supervisors at the branch participated in the vote. Of the 28 eligible voters, 21 voted in favor of unionization and two voted against it.

“It feels amazing to see what we’ve been working so hard for come to fruition. We feel like we’re finally getting our own voice,” baristas and labor organizers at the store, Alina Stangeland and Denika Brown, said in a press release Monday.

In the release, the freshly formed Encinitas union cited grievances like Starbucks' hour cuts, inadequate staf...