Hilary Russ

NEW YORK, (Reuters) –Starbucks Corp lost Tuesday’s bid to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which sought to postpone a union election at three locations of its coffee chain in Buffalo.

In November, workers received their ballots by mail and started sending them in. They will be counted up by the NLRB on Thursday. However, the company tried to delay it with objections to certain parts of the election process. A vote count can now proceed as per the NLRB’s decision.

Starbucks’ (NASDAQ: USA) locations would lose any union wins. The company has been known to be progressive and worker-friendly.

The possibility of organizing workers in more areas could be a plus, especially given the tight labor market. Restaurant chains have had to hike their pay and benefits to retain employees.

Starbucks replied to questions by saying that it had referred back to statements made Tuesday evening by Kevin Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, which were addressed directly at employees via a letter.

He wrote, “We are respectful of the ongoing process and we will continue our commitment to our Mission, Values, and regardless of what outcome in these election results may be,”

Richard Bensinger was an organizer in Workers United. Workers United is the union that organizes Starbucks baristas as well as shift supervisors. In a statement, Richard Bensinger stated, “The bullying and intimidation from Starbucks will not work”. Workers United is affiliated to the Service Employees International Union.

Starbucks challenged some election rules. Starbucks argued that the NLRB should allow workers from all 20 Buffalo-area locations to vote in one election and not let each location decide for itself.