A Starbucks location in Buffalo, NY, voted for unionization during the past week. It was the first time a union won the right to represent Starbucks workers in that company's history.
Starbucks has an army of 235,000 workers in the U.S. and Starbucks management has spent significant resources over the years successfully dissuading its stores from unionizing.
Is this a sign of a turn in the fortunes of union membership? Over the past 50 years, private sector unionization has collapsed. Private sector unionization has dropped by almost three fourths, from about 24% in the early 70's to about 6% currently. If the Starbucks vote is a sign of things to come, there's a long road back to previous glory! (Chart from chartr.co)