Hilary Russ

NEW YORK (Reuters), – Baristas in a Starbucks Corp (NASDAQ: ) A second-day walkout was taken by employees at the Buffalo, New York location on Thursday, in protest against what they consider unsafe working conditions, given the recent increase in COVID-19 case.

Workers resigned from their position at Starbucks Elmwood Avenue on Wednesday. This is the only Starbucks in America that has a unionized corporate ownership. They say they won’t return to work until they feel safer.

One of the labor organizers for Buffalo, Casey Moore said that COVID-19 is responsible for a third percent of these employees.

She said that “the store is severely understaffed, which leaves the remaining partners exhausted. and overworked.”

Employees who can work have not been given N95 masks and “Starbucks also made it clear that partners are still required to serve unmasked customers, despite state-wide mask mandates,” she said.

Reggie Borges of the company stated Monday that 20 Buffalo area stores have closed their seating areas to allow for take-out. Some of these locations also had reduced operating hours in order to deal with a rise in COVID-19-related cases and staff shortages.

Borges noted that during the pandemic “we have exceeded all CDC safety guidelines and supported our partners in vaccine pay, sick day and isolation-pay.”

On Dec. 9, workers in the store decided to join Workers United. One week later, results of the election were certified by National Labor Relations Board.

Starbucks workers in six additional cities now want to be eligible to vote for unionization.