Unionized Starbucks Corp. baristas are planning to hold strikes at approximately 100 cafes to demand that the company stop its alleged antiunion coercion. The work stoppage, which organizers say will involve stores in over 40 US cities, is the latest effort by Starbucks Workers United to push for a change by the coffee giant.
The union has already achieved initial success in Buffalo, New York, 15 months ago, and has won elections at around 290 of the company’s approximately 9,000 corporate-owned US cafes. However, the pace of new unionization petitions has slowed down as workers claim that the company has retaliated in stores and has not cooperated during negotiations.
Starbucks, on the other hand, has repeatedly denied all allegations of anti-union activities. The company asserts that it provides leading industry benefits and that it respects employees’ rights to organize and protest. Additionally, the company maintains that it values having a direct relationship with staff, which it considers a core element of its culture. However, Starbucks has accused the union of unfair negotiation tactics, and has argued that US labor board officials are trying to use cases against the company to establish new precedents that would alter existing labor laws.
Philadelphia barista Lydia Fernandez, said, “Thousands of workers who unionized their stores across the country deserve a real seat at the table and we’re going to keep fighting until we get that seat.” “We will continue with that demand regardless of who the CEO is.”
The work stoppage is scheduled one day before Starbucks’s annual shareholder meeting, which marks the first for the new CEO Laxman Narasimhan, who took over from Howard Schultz earlier this week. The investors, including New York City pension funds, have submitted a resolution calling for a labor-rights audit, and Schultz is scheduled to be grilled by lawmakers at a US Senate committee hearing next week.
The US National Labor Relations Board regional directors have filed 80 complaints against Starbucks, accusing the company of violating the law to impede organizing efforts. These include excluding unionized stores from new benefits, closing cafes, and terminating dozens of activists. Striking baristas from Oregon and Washington state plan to converge for a midday protest outside Starbucks headquarters in Seattle.
The Starbucks Workers United campaign is part of a larger movement aimed at supporting workers’ rights to unionize and collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions. The movement has gained momentum in recent years, with workers across various industries and locations participating in strikes, walkouts, and other forms of protests.
