Buffalo, New York – Starbucks workers at three stores in Buffalo had their hearts set on a big union win on Wednesday, but once again, hopes have been dashed after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) failed to reach a decision on Starbucks' pending request for review in time for the count.

"I’m extremely angry, and so are all of my co-workers today," said local barista Angel Krempa at a press conference after the scuttled ballot count.

The tally did not take place because the NLRB had not yet reached a decision on Starbucks' request for review – the same legal tactic the company used to delay the count in Mesa, Arizona, last week.

According to Workers United attorney Ian Hayes, Starbucks is claiming that individual locations are not permitted to organize on a store-by-store basis.

The company has reportedly presented the argument over and over to the NLRB, and the agency has rejected it each time. There is no deadline for the NLRB to issue its decision, but union supporters were hoping that they would do so on time for the ballot count, considering they have already issued decisions on similar requests in the past.

Despite that, the NLRB did not make its ruling on the case swiftly enough to allow the Buffalo tally to take place, and the ballots were impounded as a result.

"They were gaming the system to try to delay the process – to break workers’ momentum – just like they have been for the last half year," Hayes said of Starbucks.

"This right here is what union-busting looks like in the United States in 2022," he added.

Starbucks baristas who were looking forward to celebrating their big victory have accused the NLRB of not doing enough to defend workers from corporate attacks.

"We need the NLRB to start stepping up," Krempa declared during the news conference. "We need to make sure they are being held accountable for exactly what they came into fruition for."

On Wednesday, hours before the Buffalo tally was set to take place, the NLRB announced it had ruled in baristas' favor in the Mesa review, rejecting the company's request for an appeal. The count should be rescheduled, but so far, no date has been announced.

Though Starbucks was unable to stop the count permanently, they did succeed in delaying the Mesa store's possible unionization – a move workers described as a strategy to demotivate them.

Despite the setbacks, Starbucks workers remain determined in their fight to win a union, and they are asking for continued support from the community – including stopping by in person to express solidarity or continuing to place drink orders under names like "Union YES."

"We are confident in our partners' ability to stand strong, but justice delayed is justice denied and we will continue to push for our right to organize without delay," organizers said on Twitter.

"We’re not going to get any quieter than we have been, and we haven’t been very quiet so far," confirmed Michelle Eisen, one of the leaders of the first Buffalo unionization wave.