Roanoke Starbucks Unionizes In Unanimous Vote, Becoming First Such Store In Southwest Virginia

Baristas Callie Cabaniss and Walker Patterson at The Bridges Roanoke Starbucks on the day the store voted 14-0 to unionize. PHOTO BY HENRI GENDREAU FOR THE ROANOKE RAMBLER

A Roanoke Starbucks has become the coffee chain’s first store in Southwest Virginia to unionize.

Employees of The Bridges Roanoke store voted unanimously, 14-0, to join the Workers United union, according to a count of ballots held Monday over Zoom by the National Labor Relations Board. There were 23 baristas and supervisors eligible to vote in the election.

The store — located in the heart of the Virginia Tech Carilion innovation corridor off Jefferson Street — joins a nationwide movement toward unionization that began in December when a Starbucks in Buffalo, New York won a union election.