Submitted on Thu, 12/07/2006 - 1:26pm
Article and Photograph by Charlie Dietch - Pittsburgh City Paper, December 7, 2006.
(Pictured at right) - Industrial Workers of the World member Jonah McCallister pickets the Starbucks in Bloomfield with IWW organizer Kevin Farkas, as the IWW national organizing campaign continues here.
It wasn't the type of response that union organizers typically get from management.
On Dec. 2, a dozen or so protesters from the Industrial Workers of the World assembled in front of the Starbucks on Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield -- part of a national IWW campaign to organize the coffee giant and protest the firing of five New York baristas, allegedly for union activity. Very soon after, out came two members of Starbucks management to offer free samples of pastry and hot coffee -- to picketers and passersby alike.
Submitted on Wed, 11/29/2006 - 2:44pm
The meeting of Starbucks' CEO with Ethiopia's Prime Minister has not changed the company's mind on a licensing agreement which respects the cultural heritage of coffee farmers. Starbucks says the coffee farmers don't need the licensing agreement just like baristas don't need a union- because the company is already so magnanimous. Tell that to coffee farmers living in brutal poverty and baristas struggling to make ends meet often without health care. More information about the proposed agreement is available on Oxfam's website: http://www.oxfamamerica.org/whatwedo/campaigns/coffee/starbucks. Please take a moment to register your distaste for this extreme corporate greed from Starbucks: http://starbucksunion.org/node/1127
Submitted on Wed, 11/29/2006 - 2:18pm
IWW members in Chicago, and a friend from Teamsters Local 705, leafleted half-a-dozen Starbucks locations in downtown Chicago on Friday, 24 November as part of the international day of solidarity with Starbucks Workers Union. We distributed about 900 leaflets in a couple of hours and made contact with a number of baristas. Hopefully these contacts will get in touch with our SWU organizing committee and the start we've made at the Logan Square store will expand to other locations. Solidarity Forever!
Submitted on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 11:57pm
Disclaimer - The workers mentioned in this article are not IWW members and do not have any affiliation with the IWW. This story is included for informational purposes only.
RANCHO PENASQUITOS – An armed robber tied up two Starbucks employees after its closing Sunday night and forced a third to open the safe before leaving with an undisclosed amount of money.
Read the rest of the story.
Submitted on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 3:14am
Sisters and Brothers,
Starbucks workers need your help to continue organizing a union with the Industrial Workers of the World. With members at seven Starbucks locations and growing, the IWW baristas are proving that workers at large multinational retailers can gain an independent voice on the job. However, we can't do it alone. The coffee giant is waging a fierce union-busting campaign to defeat our organization and we need your financial support to continue fighting for justice at work and in society.
A SWU Success Story
Sarah Bender joined the IWW Starbucks Workers Union after two months on the job at the world's largest coffee chain. Like each and every Starbucks barista in the United States, Sarah was a part-time employee. With her schedule fluctuating unpredictably between 11 and 35 hours of work per week, Sarah could not count on a steady paycheck to pay the bills. Her irregular schedule meant that she often had to arrive at work at 5:00 a.m. after a long commute only to be sent home just four hours later. Sarah's precarious work life soon caused serious sleep problems. To get the justice she deserved at work, Sarah decided to go union with the SWU. Shamefully, Starbucks retaliated against her for exercising her fundamental right to organize.
