Submitted on Fri, 07/11/2008 - 3:08am
By J. Pierce and Steve O.
The Bay Area IWW held an informational leafleting at a Starbucks cafe in Alameda, CA., at the busy intersection of Park Street and Central Avenue on Sunday July 6. Making good contact with the baristas inside, and a few passers-by who happened also to be Starbucks employees, we expressed our solidarity and offered our support in their efforts to gain more control over their jobs.
The demonstration was small, as it was organized at the last minute. The IWW members present made sure that the workers inside were aware that this demonstration was in solidarity with Grand Rapids, Michigan IWW member and Starbucks Barista Cole Dorsey and CNT Starbucks Barista, Monica. The organizers also made it clear to the baristas in Alameda that this demonstration did not target them and that the Starbucks Union is not (yet) calling for a boycott of Starbucks.
Submitted on Fri, 07/11/2008 - 2:56am
BALTIMORE, MD -- Several hundred flyers were delivered to potential
Starbucks customers about Starbucks' unfair labor practices in Michigan, Spain,
New York, and other locations on July 5, 2008 as part of the Global Day of
Action in support of Starbucks workers. Baltimore GMB members, supported by
IWWs in town from Pittsburgh, Providence, and other cities, were invovled in the
action, along with members of NEFAC, and several other organizations. Free
coffee was distributed from Red Emma's coffeehouse and bookstore, an IWW job
shop, while the police looked on.
Submitted on Fri, 07/11/2008 - 2:47am
Originally posted at anarkismo.net
Dublin Report:
From 12 pm a small group of us decided to leaflet inside some of the
other Dublin Starbucks preliminary to the main demonstration on the one
in Dame Street. We started upstairs in BT2 Grafton Street – some
leaflets were got into the hands of staff behind the bar – but a BT2
security guard is hot on our heels snaffling and crumpling paper as he
goes. No security or management presense at all in Dawson street where
we get a more leisurely stroll and distribute a good number of leaflets
– staff and customers read with interest. Similarly in a fairly
deserted Starbucks in the IFSC.
Finally we get back to Dame Street and do another quick run around
inside. A minute later we are greeted by Irene; district manager of
Starbuck’s Dublin. She is icely and formally polite informing us that
we are welcome to protest peacefully but not to leaflet inside the
premises and to check in any time for refreshments . We decline the
offer. Then she turns paranoid asking us if we are recording her
(though we have neither the equipment or the inclination!)– turns back
in and is not seen again.
The crowd in Dame Street quickly swells to over 30: with WSM members
and many other activists; mostly but not exclusively libertarian. The
atmosphere is cheerful through out and people manage to engage with
workers on several occasions. Encouraged we head back to Dawson Street
and again up to 30 people throng around it; a very strong presense at a
quite small entrance.
Submitted on Fri, 07/11/2008 - 2:37am
By Inni Chowdhury - NYC Indymedia
A
dozen protesters gathered in front of the Starbucks on 17th and
Broadway on Saturday July 5 to protest the termination of two union
organizing baristas. Liberte Locke, ( a current barista who works in
Manhattan, wrote a letter to Chairman Howard Schultz, asking to
re-instate two terminated employees: Monica (who has declined to reveal
her last name for fear of being blacklisted by other potential
empolyers) and Cole Dorsey, of Grand Rapids Michigan.
According
to the official Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) website, “Monica
was fired on the 24th of April without notice. She had resisted
management when they made people work public holidays without extra
pay. The store manager had told her on several occasions that she must
have nothing to do with unions.”
Cole Dorsey was fired on June 6. He had been an active member of IWW Starbucks Workers Union.
Submitted on Fri, 07/11/2008 - 2:17am
By John Kalwaic - originally posted to indymedia.org (view the video at this link)
On July 5th , some members of the
Philadelphia branch of the Industrial Workers of the World and I
organized a small demonstration in front the Starbucks on 9th and South
Street at 1:00pm. This action was to protest the firing of Starbucks
baristas who had been trying to unionize with the IWW Starbucks Workers
Union in the United States. This event was coordinated with the
Anarchist CNT Union in Spain where baristas have also been fired for
organizing. Friends and family of IWW members also came by to show
support for the demonstration. Protestors came with IWW flags and songs
condemning the actions of Starbucks against union members in New York
City, Grand Rapids Michigan and Seville Spain. We also handed out
flyers so people could contact Starbucks in order to voice disapproval
to the company for its union busting polices. The pickets sang songs
such as Solidarity Forever and chanted “What’s Disgusting!?-Union
Busting! What’s Outrages?!-Starbucks Wages!”
When we first set up
the manger came to yell at us because she thought for sure we were
doing something illegal. We told her that this is a public sidewalk and
we could have a demonstration if we wanted. The manager said she was
going to call the authorities and tell them what we were doing, However
no policeman ever came to bother us since we were not blocking the
sidewalk or the entrance to Starbucks. The manager posted an orange
sing on the door that said, “We love our jobs.” Despite this typical
act of managerial propaganda most people were receptive and took the
flyers we were handing out. The Philadelphia IWW is not currently
organizing any Starbucks workers; rather we are organizing a solidarity
rally with Starbucks workers in other US cities in other parts of the
world. The demonstration was successful and we got our message across.
starbucksunion.org
