May 17, 2009 marks five years since baristas at a Starbucks in New York
City announced their membership in the Industrial Workers of the World and
launched a campaign open to employees throughout the company. A worker-led
organizing effort with the legendary IWW at the world's largest coffee chain
could have been a flash in the pan? brilliant and inspiring, but brief. But a
fire was lit and a movement began. The idea that Starbucks workers could
organize themselves and speak in their own voice, independent of company
executives and union bureaucrats, could not be restrained.
The bosses did their best to defeat us, to bury any indication of our
existence under a heap of lies and retaliatory firings. They tried to stamp us
out, even as the campaign for secure jobs and a living wage burst from New York
into Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota and beyond.
While Starbucks used the economic crisis as a pretext for an all-out
assault on our already meager standard of living, our struggle gained momentum
this year amidst a stark decline of the company's brand and widespread store
closures. Baristas around the country and around the world made the decision to
organize and fight back against severe cuts in work hours, chronic under
staffing, and a new "Optimal Scheduling" program which forces many workers to be
available to Starbucks for over 80 hours a week without being guaranteed a
single work hour.
This journey has been full of set-backs and tests of will. Progress has
been made yet much remains to be done. But one thing is certain: our voice for
dignity is firmly planted and our union?s future is bright.
Workers Form First Union at Starbucks in Latin America
The SWU Applauds the Efforts of Baristas in Chile and Pledges Close
Cooperation
New York, NY (05/05/2009)- The IWW Starbucks Workers Union has
enthusiastically welcomed the first union of Starbucks workers in Latin America
and has pledged support for the new endeavor. Starbucks baristas and shift
supervisors in Chile have organized for respect on the job, a dependable work
schedule, and a living wage, among other issues. Supporters of the new union,
Sindicato de Trabajadores de Starbucks Coffee Chile S.A., can learn more and
lend support on their website http://sindicatosbux.blogspot.com/.
"Around the world, Starbucks jobs must work for hard-working baristas, not
just senior executives," said Chrissy Cogswell, a Starbucks employee in Chicago
and a member of the IWW Starbucks Workers Union. "The Chilean baristas have
created a voice at work to make sure their contribution to the company is
respected."
Missteps by management at Starbucks including over expansion and lack of
value on the menu have resulted in serious hardships for baristas. Starbucks
workers are facing mass layoffs and employees who manage to avoid losing their
jobs are seeing their hours drastically cut.
Founded in 2004, the IWW Starbucks Workers Union is an organization of
over 300 current and former baristas, bussers, and shift supervisors united for
a secure work schedule and an independent voice on the job. Through direct
action, public education, and legal advocacy, the SWU organizes for a Starbucks
which rewards the hard work of employees with respect and dignity. The union
has made important systemic improvements at the company and has successfully
defended baristas that have been treated unfairly.
The Industrial Workers of the World is a member-operated global labor union
open to all working people.
Disclaimer - The opinions of the author do not necessarily match those of the IWW. The image pictured below and to the right did not appear in the original article, we have added it here to provide a visual perspective. This article is reposted in accordance to Fair Use guidelines.
The National Labor Relations Board laid the smack down on the wrist of Starbucks last week,
siding with union organizers in finding that the coffee giant engaged
in unfair labor practices at eight Minneapolis-area stores. The union
said that Starbucks kicked visiting organizers out of their stores and
told them they couldn't talk about the union, and also retaliated via
disciplinary measures against employees who tried to organize.
The
NLRB proposed a settlement, which Starbucks can accept or decline and
then face a formal complaint before an administrative law judge. But
the real kick is the employees' union. When I heard Starbucks employees
were organizing, I automatically thought it would be under the umbrella
of the SEIU, the fast-growing, aggressive, powerful union of service
industry employees (local branches of which recently protested in front of the First Hill Bank of America).
Instead, though, the Starbucks Workers Union is organized under the
Industrial Workers of the World (aka the Wobblies), the international
union that was a powerhouse in the early 20th century, opposing World
War I, calling general strikes, and facing violent repression from
business groups and government. (A particularly notable episode
occurred in Centralia.)
Those who keep close tabs on labor (or coffee) news probably know that
the IWW has been organizing in Starbucks and elsewhere, but for the
casual observer, it's a trip to see their name in the news.
17-count Charge Latest in a String of Setbacks for Brand
Minneapolis -- The Starbucks Workers Union announced today that the National Labor Relations Board has found merit with 17 counts of labor rights violations at Starbucks in Minneapolis/St. Paul. The fresh charges come on the heels of a "guilty" verdict in New York Federal Court on nearly 30 similar charges last December. Once seen as a paragon of social responsibility and entrepreneurial innovation, the coffee giant's image has recently been tarnished with mounting evidence of rampant labor violations, on top of sliding profits, increased market competition, and declining consumer demand.
Mall of America Starbucks barista Erik Forman commented, "Since the recession began, Starbucks has been slashing benefits, laying off workers, reducing hours, and increasing the workload on Baristas in a quixotic effort to maintain boom-era profitability. As our standard of living comes under attack, the need for a union has never been greater. Starbucks must respect our right to association."
Disclaimer: The International Socilaist Organization is not affiliated with the IWW or vice versa.
WHEN BANK of America hosted a conference call to discuss how to
defeat the Employee Free Choice Act, one executive used a new
formulation: "the Starbucks problem."
His worry: workers might follow the example of Starbucks baristas
and form their own unions without waiting for bigger "traditional"
unions to organize them.
In the past five years, the Starbucks Workers Union (SWU)--a part of
the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)--has spread from one
Manhattan store to win hundreds of members in New York City,
Minneapolis-St. Paul, Grand Rapids, Chicago and beyond.
The SWU has made inroads among a section of the workforce--low-wage
retail workers--that many unions have written off as too difficult to
organize. Indeed, organized labor represents just 5 percent of workers
in retail.
Since its formation, the SWU has won a series of important National
Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rulings and achieved gains for baristas on
the job. Given the dire straits workers face today, if Corporate
America is worried about the "Starbucks problem," then union members
and supporters should take a close look at the SWU.
May 17, 2009 marks five years since baristas at a Starbucks in New York
City announced their membership in the Industrial Workers of the World and
launched a campaign open to employees throughout the company. A worker-led
organizing effort with the legendary IWW at the world's largest coffee chain
could have been a flash in the pan? brilliant and inspiring, but brief. But a
fire was lit and a movement began. The idea that Starbucks workers could
organize themselves and speak in their own voice, independent of company
executives and union bureaucrats, could not be restrained.
For Immediate Release:
The National Labor Relations Board 
17-count Charge Latest in a String of Setbacks for Brand
Disclaimer: The International Socilaist Organization is not affiliated with the IWW or vice versa.