IWW Extends Legal Fight Against Starbucks Over Anti-Union Operation
Submitted on Tue, 09/25/2007 - 3:44am
Grand Rapids, MI- Still mired in a lengthy labor trial in New York City, Starbucks must contend with a imminent complaint from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) over anti-union activity. After an investigation of charges filed by the IWW Starbucks Workers Union, the NLRB is set to accuse the coffee chain of threatening Grand Rapids baristas with termination for joining the union and denying access to the store bulletin board in an effort to interfere with co-worker communications regarding the union. In addition to the forthcoming complaint, the NLRB is continuing to investigate whether Starbucks violated its 2006 settlement obligations by other anti-union conduct in Grand Rapids.
“The Labor Board investigation has confirmed what baristas here already knew,” said Cole Dorsey, an IWW member and Starbucks barista in Grand Rapids. “When Starbucks employees organize to have their contribution to the company recognized, corporate responds with an ugly union-busting campaign.”
Starbucks is currently standing trial on a federal labor complaint in New York over its large-scale operation against the Industrial Workers of the World, which has been gaining members from Starbucks stores around the United States. That trial is delving into allegations that Starbucks fired three workers in retaliation for union activity, surveilled union members, and discriminated against union supporters, among other things.
“Starbucks union-busting, led by the company’s most senior leadership in Seattle, has reared its ugly head in Michigan,” said Daniel Gross, an IWW member and one of the three baristas in the New York trial fired for union activity. “When will the company realize that workers have the right to have their voice respected?”
Starbucks has misled many people into believing it’s a decent place to work, but the facts show otherwise. Starbucks employees struggle with the combination of a low-wage of around $7 or $8 per hour and a work schedule with no guaranteed hours. Starbucks insures a lower percentage of its workforce than widely and rightly criticized Wal-Mart- 40.9% of Starbucks employees have company health insurance vs. 47% at Wal-Mart.
The IWW Starbucks Workers Union connects baristas with each other and with community members to ensure their voice is respected at work. The union does not seek government certification, preferring instead to address concerns directly to management. Using direct pressure, the SWU has played a substantial role in wage increases and securing hours for many Starbucks employees. In addition, the union has remedied a wide array of grievances from religious discrimination to vermin infestation through a variety of creative tactics.
Founded in 1905, the Industrial Workers of the World is an independent union for all workers.