Sacramento Bee Investigation of SBUX Coffee Purchasing in Ethiopia Consistent with Union Findings
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.
The Starbucks spin machine is misleading consumers about the working conditions of coffee farmers and café employees alike. It’s time for Starbucks to stop the deception and pay a fair price for every coffee bean that it purchases and respect the right of baristas to organize."
-Peter van Schaick, member of the IWW Justice from Bean to Cup delegation to Ethiopia
LINKS:
Starbucks calls its coffee worker-friendly -- but in Ethiopia, a day's pay is a dollar, Tom Knudson, Sacramento Bee: http://www.sacbee.com/502/story/393917.html
Video Companion: http://www.sacbee.com/static/newsroom/swf/september07/gemadro
The IWW Justice from Bean to Cup Delegation's findings in addition to information on the plight of cafe employees at Starbucks is detailed in the Starbucks 2006 Corporate Irresponsibility Report.
A video from the delegation to Ethiopia is also online: Part I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xTk_LLjxUk