Submitted on Sat, 10/04/2008 - 8:41pm
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 LAUREN SHEPHERD - NEW YORK (AP) - Starbucks Corp. is facing another complaint from the
National Labor Relations Board alleging that the gourmet coffee chain engaged in
unfair labor practices by firing a barista in Michigan.
The complaint, filed last month by the Detroit office of the NLRB, stems
from an investigation into a charge made by employee Cole Dorsey earlier this
year.
According to the NLRB complaint, Dorsey--a member of the Industrial
Workers of the World union at Starbucks--was fired June 6 from his job at a
store in Grand Rapids, Mich. Before being fired, Dorsey had been given two prior
disciplinary warnings by his store manager.
The complaint alleges that Dorsey received the warnings and was fired
because of his "sympathies for and activities on behalf of" the IWW Starbucks
Workers Union. The union has been attempting to organize workers at the
chain.
Submitted on Fri, 10/03/2008 - 8:41pm
New York, NY- The Starbucks Coffee Co. is in the process of an extreme
revamping of its workforce policies according to company documents obtained by
the Starbucks Workers Union of the Industrial Workers of the World. The
initiative, dubbed "Optimal Scheduling", will require employees to make
themselves available to work essentially around the clock to obtain so-called
full-time status. Even for workers able to make the extraordinary sacrifice to
obtain "full-time" status, no work hours are guaranteed- identical to Starbucks'
current system of part-time status for all retail hourly workers. In addition,
Starbucks will lay off workers who cannot meet minimum availability
requirements. As baristas learn of the new program, discontent is
rising.
"I've had to make myself available each week from Tuesday to Sunday
starting at 4:45am until 11pm in the hopes of possibly getting 32 hours of work
but not being guaranteed a single hour," said Liberte Locke, a Starbucks barista
in New York and member of the IWW Starbucks Workers Union. "It's impossible for
me to get a second job now even though I need one and impossible to have a life
outside of work."
Under the new system, baristas who opt for pseudo full-time status have to
make themselves available to work 70% of the total hours their store is open
during the week. In an example given in the company documents, a store open 115
hours per week requires a barista to be available to work 80.5 hours each week -
over double the standard work week. Week-to-week Starbucks can then schedule
workers anywhere within that availability. In addition, workers who cannot make
themselves available for at least three shifts a week will be fired, absent a
"compelling reason" which Starbucks has not defined. Weekend workers must be
available for at least 16 hours to avoid termination.
Submitted on Thu, 10/02/2008 - 7:25pm
Disclaimer - The opinions of the author do not necessarily match those of the IWW. The image pictured 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.
By Julie Forster - jforster [at] pioneerpress.com
Starbucks Corp. has agreed to a settlement with the National Labor
Relations Board on charges of anti-union activities at its Mall of America store
that stemmed from the July firing of a barista who tried to organize
workers.
The settlement agreement is the third nationally the Seattle-based
corporation has reached with the NLRB concerning alleged efforts to stop workers
from joining a union.
It comes in the wake of the August reinstatement of barista Erik Forman,
who still is trying to organize Starbucks workers at Twin Cities stores into a
union called the Starbucks Workers Union.
Submitted on Thu, 10/02/2008 - 7:09pm
Disclaimer - The opinions of the author do not necessarily match those of the IWW. The image pictured 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.
By LAUREN SHEPHERD - NEW YORK (AP) -- Starbucks Corp. has settled a National Labor Relations
Board complaint with an employee who said he was fired this summer for promoting
union activity.
The agreement marks the gourmet coffee chain's third settlement of an NLRB
complaint alleging the company was attempting to dissuade employees from joining
a union.
The settlement stemmed from a complaint filed in July by Minneapolis
barista Erik Forman who claimed he was fired for encouraging workers to join the
Industrial Workers of the World union. He was fired July 10 after he received a
"final written warning" for showing up half an hour late to work. The warning
followed two earlier tardy notices.
Submitted on Wed, 10/01/2008 - 2:30pm
Original URL - http://www.brandworkers.org/en/node/37146
Dear Friends,
Celebrity chef Terrance Brennan who serves seafood from known labor rights
violator Wild Edibles, Inc. is set to appear on NBC's The Today Show.
To add insult to injury, Chef Brennan's Artisanal Bistro lied to workers in
writing by stating that the restaurant no longer served Wild Edibles seafood.
After Brandworkers exposed the deception, Brennan admitted in a Sept. 1, 2008
press statement that his restaurant is still serving Wild
Edibles.
Please take a moment now to express your opinion that Terrance Brennan
lacks the credibility and trustworthiness that viewers of The Today Show expect
from guests. Click on the following link to participate:
http://citizenspeak.org/node/1352
Thank you very much for all of your work to ensure that working families
receive the respect they deserve.
