Starbucks Workers United announced Friday that 150 stores had filed unionization petitions in the last few months. This is a significant milestone in the campaign’s rapid growth.
The 150th location to file unionization was in Westmoreland, Portland, Oregon. “The Westmoreland partners are standing with their fellow Starbucks workers coast to coast,” the union wrote. “Together we – the partners – will make a better Starbucks!” Since then, several more storesHave filed to unionize.
Workers have been filing to unionize almost every day; by February 31, The union was a successIts 100th store filing means that approximately two stores have filed to unionize each day for the past month. Six stores have been able to unionize successfully so far. More elections scheduledIn the coming weeks. Only one store voted against unionization.
Starbucks workers were at one store this weekend went on strikeProtest unsafe working conditions, workers said. Workers at a store located in Overland Park, Kansas say the company has been causing unsafe working conditions. retaliating against pro-union workersThe location filed to unionize earlier this season. The union election was held recently at the location.
One pro-union worker, Maddie Doran, told KCUR that the location has been understaffed and that management accused her of stealing around the time of the election, which Doran said was “clearly retaliation.”
According to the union, Starbucks is not the only union buster.
Starbucks Workers United has filed Over 20 complaintsThe National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which has filed a complaint against the company in the past weeks, alleging that they have used illegal union-busting tactics to crush union efforts. The company has Illegally coercedThe union claims that workers who were present at anti-union meetings retaliated against the union and fired organizers and restricted workers’ access to journalists.
The union recently stated that the company had been cutting hours to workers to punish pro-union workers, and interfere with their organizing campaigns. A union survey of workers found that employees have had between two and 15 hours cut from their weekly schedules, which has impacted workers’ finances and potentially rendered them ineligible for benefits like health care.
The union requested a nationwide injunction from the labor board to stop the company’s continued reductions of hours.
“Being a single woman living on my own, I chose this job because I was promised that I would be able to maintain any hours needed in order to survive, for me, that was at least 35 hours minimum a week,” Angel Krempa, a shift supervisor in Buffalo, said in a statement earlier this month. “Since going to court to fight for my store to receive ballots, I have had to fight to get at least 35 hours, I cannot afford to pay my bills without dipping into my student loan bill account now.”
“I’m terrified I won’t be able to survive on my own much longer, for a corporation that brings in millions of dollars in revenue, I am deeply insulted and hurt, when all I’ve tried to do is bring accountability to my managers,” Krempa went on.
Starbucks has lost all of its legal battles against the union. Last week The NLRB discoveredThe company unlawfully retaliated against pro-union workers in Phoenix, Arizona by firing one and suspending the other. If a judge finds that Starbucks broke the law, the company will have to distribute materials about workers’ right to organize and give the fired worker back pay.
However, the company may be looking for ways to increase its anti-union campaign. Howard Schultz was recently brought back by the company. to serve as CEO, replacing CEO Kevin Johnson in a move that workers say was clearly due to Schultz’s anti-union history.
