Annapolis Harbour Center Starbucks Becomes First Unionized Location in Area

Baristas at the Starbucks inside Annapolis Harbour Center voted in favor of union representation under Starbucks Workers United in mid-March 2026, making the location the first unionized Starbucks in the immediate Annapolis area.

The vote places the Harbour Center store among the growing number of Starbucks locations that have organized under Starbucks Workers United, the union that has led shop-by-shop organizing campaigns at the coffee chain across the country. For the baristas who work that location, the vote marks the beginning of a process that will eventually lead to contract negotiations with one of the largest food-service employers in the country.

No vote tally has been publicly confirmed, and details about the bargaining unit size, the specific date of the election within mid-March, and whether the result has been formally certified through the National Labor Relations Board have not yet been made available. Starbucks corporate has not issued a public statement on the outcome. Workers United organizers have not provided a public comment tied to this specific location.

What is confirmed is the local significance: no other Starbucks in the Annapolis area had previously organized, making this store a first for a city that sits between two major labor markets in Baltimore and Washington. The Harbour Center location now enters bargaining, a stage that has proved lengthy and contested at other unionized Starbucks stores nationally, where the company and workers have clashed over the pace and terms of negotiations.

For the baristas at Harbour Center, the next steps involve establishing a bargaining committee and presenting priority contract demands, a process that at other Starbucks locations has centered on scheduling stability, wage increases, and consistent tip policies.