Submitted on Tue, 09/25/2007 - 1:55am
For Immediate Release: September 24, 2007 Contact: [email protected]
Statement of the IWW Justice from Bean to Cup Campaign on Sacramento Bee Investigation of Starbucks Coffee Purchasing in Ethiopia
"The four month Sacramento Bee investigation of Starbucks coffee purchasing practices in Ethiopia exposes the same hypocrisy uncovered by the IWW Justice from Bean to Cup delegation when we met with farmers in the birthplace of coffee. While Starbucks makes extraordinary claims about its commitment to coffee farmers, the reality of life on the ground for the farmers and their families is extreme poverty and malnutrition.
Submitted on Tue, 09/18/2007 - 3:49pm
By x361519
As the Starbucks Workers Union is in its third year of struggling for the rights of baristas and moving to trial in New York, we at the Bay Area Starbucks Workers Union are continuing our push to unionize workers and respond to the unfair actions that Starbucks commits against their employees. Through any means available, we have – and still are – pushing to organize baristas into One Big Union.
Weekly informational pickets have become a great weapon that has been useful twofold: to let passers-by know about the unjust labor practices that Starbucks has committed across the country and to give a face to the union for the workers. Although not central to the fight, positive consumer and community response gives the union leverage against local Starbucks locations by consumer grievances and participating in e-mail campaigns. Such tactics have worked in other IWW campaigns such as Shattuck Cinemas and feel it can in this one also. Informational pickets also give a face to the union, something that other business unions often look over. By seeing active members on the streets pushing for Starbucks to own up to its destructive labor practices, the employees will see we are truly dedicated to their fight and no other.
Submitted on Sat, 09/15/2007 - 5:11am
The Women Chainmakers of Cradley Heath
The main industry of Cradley Heath during the industrial revolution was iron working, specifically chain making. In ‘’The White Slaves of England’’ Robert Sherard reminds us that 1,000 tons of chain was made in the Cradley Heath District each week.
He uses the word Slave advisedly for as he tells us, ‘chronic hunger can bind tighter than any iron link’. And chronic hunger was the lot of the women chain makers of Cradley Heath. Sherard tells us of the desperation of many of these wretched women working to within a few weeks of their confinement. Many of the women were over seventy and many younger than fifteen often working twelve plus hours a day. There is also reference made to a ‘’sweater’’, a kind of overseer who has ‘’never forged a link in her life and gets a good living’’.
Submitted on Thu, 09/13/2007 - 10:07pm
Bunny's Story
I am a 54 year old ex-Starbucks employee. I worked at Starbucks in Kansas City for over a year. I could say a lot about what I endured as a Starbucks so called PARTNER, but I will make this brief so that I can get my message out there so this will not happen to others.
I was a Shift Supervisor on the AM shift and worked around 35-38 hours per week. I stepped down from being a shift as a result of discrimination from my manager.
On one occasion my manager took me aside and said that he felt intimidated by me. I asked what he meant, and he said, that with me being 53 years old and him being only 26 years old, he had not been through all of the things in life that I had, like raising 6 children, and owning my own business, and he sometimes questioned his decisions after talking to me. He continued to say that if he feels that way that he could only imagine how I intimidated my 18-19 year old Shift Supervisors. Then he told me to forget everything I had ever learned in life and do things his way.
Submitted on Fri, 08/24/2007 - 12:13pm
Disclaimer - The opinions of the author do not necessarily match those of the IWW. This article is reposted in accordance to Fair Use guidelines.
BY BRENDAN BROSH - New York Daily News, Tuesday, August 21st 2007.
Some Starbucks employees are charging that the gourmet coffee giant is grinding them down with oppressive working conditions.
The ubiquitous chain is defending itself before the National Labor Relations Board against 30 unfair labor practice charges levied by the Starbucks Workers Union.