Baristas Fight Back!—The Union Efforts of Starbucks Partners
When you go on your early morning Starbucks run, what do you think of? Do you wonder what drink you should get, or question if they have the pastry you’ve been fantasizing about?
What about if the employee’s are receiving fair wages, and proper treatment and training? This exact quandary has led many Starbucks baristas to band together in order to form unions throughout the nation.
Source: Nation’s Restaurant News
Like much of the world, the impact of Covid-19 struck thousands of individuals and left many questioning life as we knew it. Especially in the workplace, there became a shift in mindset that prioritized workers over establishments regardless of their position, and Starbucks partners were no exception to it.
In an article written for Forbes Advisor, one employee of the coffee company is quoted saying, “every job matters the same. It doesn’t matter whether that’s an hourly worker at Starbucks or a white-collar worker in an office,” regarding working during the pandemic.
With a new mindset and a rising interest in unionization within the food service industry, Starbucks partners set out with plans to unite as one.
Source: NPR
The first successful unionization of a Starbucks store—that being in Buffalo, New York in December of 2021—set off a storm of petitions all throughout the country from baritas hoping to form unions. By 2022, over 122 Starbucks stores unionized, and around 280 locations continued to petition for union votes.
While many stores crossed the threshold into unionization, there came a growing tension between baristas and the Starbucks Corp.
According to PBS Thirteen, in June of this year, the company released a statement announcing its plans to permanently close a recently organized store location in Ithaca, New York, due to “facilities issues and staffing problems.”
However, just two months earlier Ithaca store location workers went on strike for unsafe working conditions—including unsafe grease traps—without resolution. In response to the closure, Starbucks Workers United filed an unfair labor charge on suspicion of union retaliation.
The case in Ithaca is not the only instance of company retaliation for this movement. More than 85 individuals have been fired due to their involvement in union organizing, according to The Guardian.
Source: TikTok
“The National Labor Relations Board has issued 21 official complaints against Starbucks, encompassing 81 charges and 548 allegations of labor law violations that are currently under review,” as stated in an article by The Guardian.
With a multitude of unjust firings and store closures, many workers took to the streets in protest of company union busting. Over 80 strikes across the country have taken place regarding these issues. Starbucks Workers United also raised over $1 million dollars for a fund to support those who are on strike.
While the fight for unionization continues, the efforts of these baristas have sparked a labor movement throughout the nation and continue to grow every day.