Starbucks Union blogs

Polish Unionists Protest Starbucks

Wed, 20 May 2009 14:18:26 -0400

Check out the great pics at: http://www.wsa.org.pl/module.php?op=galery&cmd=366

Back to the Future: Starbucks vs. the Wobblies [Seattle Weekly]

Tue, 05 May 2009 10:49:59 -0400

By Damon Agnos

Monday, May. 4 2009

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.

Swedish Union Seeks Support After Nazi Murder Attempt

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 11:30:21 -0500

Nazis tried to murder union activists and their daugther. In 1999 Nazis
murdered the SAC member Björn Söderberg. Now they have tried again.

Two members from Stockholm – one of them earlier board member of the Stocholm
Local- and their three year old daughter had to escape trough the balcony
of their three floor building, when Nazis put their apartment on fire.

Just Before 09.00 pm Monday the first of December, someone poured gasoline
trough their mailbox, our member loudly shouted “we got our child in
here!” Just seconds after they lighted it up. The only way to escape was
trough the balcony, were our members managed to lower their daughter to
the neighbour downstairs who catch her and then climbed down themselves.

Miraculous our members and their daughter managed to escape without
suffering any injuries, but that doesn’t changes the fact that someone,
cold-blooded tried to take their lives. Just two days earlier someone
burned down the social centre Cyklopen in Högdalen south of Stockholm. The

SWU Member Daniel Gross on the Chicago Sit-Down Strike

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:19:14 -0500

The Spark We Need

The Chicago Sit-Down Strike

By DANIEL GROSS, Counterpunch Dec. 8, 2008

The corporations got sloppy. From the hedge-fund parasites to the housing market fraudsters, the corporate criminals have shown their hand. Their filthy fingerprints are all over the economic pain blanketing the country and the world.

To add insult to injury, the corporate agents in government, also known as politicians, are looting incomprehensible billions of dollars to turn over to the fat-cat executives.

Working families have long known the pain of stagnant wages, steep rents, and unaffordable heath care and education in the United States. But there’s no doubt that this recession has squeezed the vise beyond what many of us have seen in our lifetimes.

What’s invigorating and critically important though is the rising awareness that corporations are to blame for the current calamity, and that this crisis is not merely, “a force of nature.” Working people across the country are pointing the blame where it belongs. The elites understand this rising public awareness of corporate wrongdoing as well. How else to explain President George W. Bush feeling obligated to give a speech last month in New York defending capitalism itself...

Read full article at: http://www.counterpunch.org/gross12082008.html

Members of SWU Sister Union in Sweden Survive Nazi Attack

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:31:20 -0500

Two members of the SAC union in Sweden and their two year old daughter were assaulted at home by a Nazi fire attack. The IWW Starbucks Workers Union (SWU) stands in proud solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the SAC, a Swedish labor union dedicated to extending democracy into the workplace.

The SWU will continue to update our members and supporters around the world regarding the Nazi violence against SAC members. Like the IWW, the SAC does not back down from a fight whether it is with a tyrannical boss or a blood-thirsty Nazi. We are certain that in the birthplace of IWW organizer and songwriter Joe Hill, the strength and dignity of every day working people will prevail over the hatred of the Nazis:

From http://anarkisterna.com/blog/2008/12/03/nazis-tried-to-kill-union-activists-and-their-child/

Nazis tried to kill union activists and their child

onsdag 3 december, 2008 kl. 2:27 e m

1999 Nazis killed the Syndicalist Björn Söderberg. Now they tried again. Two Syndicalists from Stockholm – one of them the former chair of the Stockholm chapter of the Syndicalist union - and their two year old daughter were forced to climb down from the balcony of their third floor apartement when Nazis sat fire to their flat.

Half a year ago, our union members were exposed on the Nazi webpage Info-14. The Nazis behind Info-14 are the same people who arrange the annual Nazimarch in Salem.

Just before nine p.m. on Monday night, 1st December 2008, our members heard a splashing sound from the hallway. “I saw someone pour a clear fluid through the mail slot and understood from the scent that it was gasoline”, one of them says. “I shouted so loud that they can’t have missed it: We have children in here! Only seconds later they lit the fire.”

Blast from the past: IWW comes to MOA [TC Daily Planet]

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:05:00 -0400

By Anthony Nadler , TC Daily Planet
July 23, 2008

This week the Mall of America (MOA) became an unusual site for the return of a group once thought to be a relic of Minnesota’s radical union past – the Industrial Workers of the World. Yesterday a group of workers at a MOA Starbucks delivered a letter to their management announcing their affiliation with the I.W.W. union and making a number of demands about working conditions and compensation.

The Starbucks Workers Union, part of the Industrial Workers of the World, has been organizing Starbucks workers for more than four years in cities across the U.S. including New York, Chicago, Grand Rapids, MI, and Minneapolis. The union claims to have over 200 current and former Starbucks employees as members nationally. This is their first public union action in Minnesota. The demands of the MOA Starbucks workers include calls for a living wage, automatic cost-of-living pay increases, and an expanded tuition reimbursement program. One of the benefits often advertised in Starbucks’s employment promotions is tuition benefits. A detailed explanation of the benefits packages on Starbucks website says this benefit will be considered only for “accredited courses relating to Starbucks business.” Union members say the tuition benefit is given only for study in areas relevant to future Starbucks employment.

The union action comes at a sensitive time for Starbucks, just after the company announced they would be closing over 600 stores nationwide and 27 in Minnesota. While neither of the two Starbucks locations at the Mall of America is slated for closure, the workers letter of demands also asks for fair severance packages for workers at closing stores.

Yesterday’s letter of demands comes on the heels of another controversial incident at the Mall of America I Starbucks. On July 11, Erik Forman, a former employee, filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (N.L.R.B) claiming he had been fired the previous day as retaliation for union activity. After Forman’s firing, five workers attempted to get management to reverse the decision through a petition and a short work stoppage. Supporters collected just over 50 signatures from Starbucks workers around the Twin Cities in a petition of support for Forman. Speaking for concerned employees, Jake Bell, a current MOA Starbucks worker, said, “We’re afraid that if Starbucks is willing to break the law to fire Erik, they might fire any of us.” [Editor’s note: Full disclosure—Jake Bell also works with the TC Daily Planet.]

In New York City, where the Starbucks Workers Union has also been active, the N.L.R.B. has accused Starbucks of at least 30 violations. In one settlement, Starbucks agreed to rehire two fired workers. Starbucks Workers Union sources also say their organizing has been instrumental to significant pay increases for New York City workers.

Five Starbucks workers participating at a press conference today at the Mall of America said that they were first attracted to employment with the company because of its reputation for generous benefits and social responsibility. However, they felt that reputation had proved illusionary. Workers participating in today’s press conference said Starbucks baristas are all making much less than a living wage (with salaries starting at $7.60/hour), facing hurdles to get enough hours needed to maintain eligibility for their health benefits and many are not in the position to be able to pay for the premiums and co-pays of company health packages if available. Starbucks requires employees work 160 hours every two months to qualify for healthcare packages in which the company covers a portion of insurance costs. Workers at the press conference today said it is not always possible for employees to secure enough hours on regular basis to qualify for these benefits.

The I.W.W. is a unique union in many respects. Since the early 1900s, the I.W.W. has tried to organize all workers regardless of race, gender and level of skill. They have tended to favor direct action by workers rather than working through governmental mediation or electoral politics. According to Macalester College labor historian Peter Rachleff, the I.W.W. was very active in the 1920s and went into a slump in following decades due to government repression and the success of more powerful unions. Rachleff says the public re-emergence of the I.W.W. now is partially “in response to globalization, economic neoliberalism, and the inability of official unions to develop strategies to resist corporate onslaught.” The Starbucks Workers Union is open to all Starbucks employees and does not require members pay dues.

Local union members would not say if they had plans for any further public actions. Starbucks has not returned phone and email requests for comments and specific information about this story.

Mall Starbucks workers join union [Star Tribune]

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:51:33 -0400

Mall Starbucks workers join union

July 21, 2008

by Matt McKinney, Star Tribune

A group of Starbucks employees at the Mall of America has joined a national union and called on the coffee company for better treatment of its workers following a company announcement this month that it would shutter some 600 stores nationwide, including 27 in Minnesota.

The laid off employees deserve a severance package and the option of a transfer to another location, said Erik Forman, a former Starbucks employee at the Mall of America. He said some employees of the mall location stopped working briefly on Monday to protest the closings; the group plans a press conference today.

Forman, who said he was laid off last week for union activities, said about half of the store's 13 employees have agreed to join the Industrial Workers of the World, which has helped Starbucks employees in New York and Chicago organize unions.

An e-mail sent to a Starbucks spokesperson on Monday evening was not immediately answered.

Mall of America Starbucks Baristas Walk Off Job, Protest Closures [Fox 9]

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:47:47 -0400

Mall of America Starbucks Baristas Walk Off Job, Protest Closures

Starbucks union plans protest of nationwide closures at MOA

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- Starbucks baristas at the Mall of America location walked off the job Monday and delivered a letter to management demanding “just treatment” of all employees affected by Starbucks' store closures nationwide.

The barista walkout comes days after Starbucks announce the closure of 600 stores nationwide, including 27 in Minnesota.

BARISTA DEMANDS

The baristas demanded a severance package of closure-affected workers, plus the option to transfer to other stores.

The Starbucks Workers Union says the company plans to give workers one month notice before laying them off with “a paltry two weeks' pay.” The union also says Starbucks will "insist some baristas transfer and will revoke severance pay if transfer offers are refused."

Starbucks pays baristas a wage of $7.60 per hour -- a rate above minimum wage, but below an amount baristas find satisfactory.

"With the skyrocketing cost of living, workers have no other choice than to stand up for improvements on the job,” former barista Erik Foreman said. “Even at Starbucks in the Mall of America, we can organize and fight!"

MINNESOTA MINIMUM WAGE

There are three minimum wages in effect in Minnesota: $5.25 an hour at businesses with gross yearly sales of less than $500,000; the federal minimum of $5.85 at businesses with sales between $500,000 and $625,000; and $6.15 for larger companies. Starting July 24, all employers with sales topping $500,000 must pay the new federal minimum of $6.55 an hour.

Union Link: www.StarbucksUnion.org

SWU Allies Hit Starbucks in Spain on May Day

Tue, 06 May 2008 17:33:10 -0400

The CNT in Spain made sure to stop by Starbucks on their May Day march:

Judge draws clear line at tip jar in Starbucks case

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:11:21 -0400

Judge draws clear line at tip jar in Starbucks case; small California businesses likely to be affected too07:15 PM PDT on Wednesday, April 2, 2008

By LOU HIRSH
The Press-Enterprise

Dipping into its
employees' tip jars could get Starbucks into hot water in other places
besides California, local legal experts said, and similar businesses
will need to take heed of issues raised in the high-profile civil suit
against the coffee giant.

Cynthia Germano, a labor lawyer
with Best Best & Krieger in Riverside, said the Starbucks dispute
puts a spotlight on California laws that have been on the books for
several years.

Will Starbucks reveal Calorie count

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 02:12:45 -0400

In the Summer of 2006 Union Baristas in NYC and the Center for Science in
the Public expressed their concern over the massive amount of calories in Starbucks drinks and pastries. The Union was horrified at chalk boards recommending a Venti Banana Coconut Frappuccino and a banana nut bar which together equated over 1000 calories.

The Union called on Starbucks to display calorie content to all. People need to know what they are putting in their bodies.

Today that demand is almost a reality. The NYC Health Department has mandated all restaurants to list their calorie data as a means of fighting obesity. The Restaurant industry is challenging the order and the Health Department has agreed to push back the deadline to April 15th and wait for a court decision.

The SWU calls on Starbucks to provide the Nutrition Information Regardless.

Starbucks has previously stated “We believe nutrition information should be
readily available.” but now they are back peddling and released a statement saying “Starbucks will be
fully compliant with the regulation when it goes into effect.”

Starbucks to Appeal Tip-Sharing Ruling

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 02:33:22 -0400

SEATTLE (AP) — Starbucks Corp. plans to appeal a San Diego Superior
Court ruling last week that ordered the coffee chain to compensate
California baristas for tips they shared with shift supervisors.

"The
ruling would take away the right of shift supervisors to receive the
tips they earn for providing superior customer service," said Chief
Executive Howard Schultz, in a voicemail message to employees Wednesday
night. "I want you to know that we strongly believe that this ruling is
extremely unfair and beyond reason."

In the message, a transcript
of which was released by Starbucks, Schultz said the media "grossly
mischaracterized" the coffee chain's standard practice of allowing
shift supervisors to share in tips left for baristas.

"We would
never condone any type of behavior that would lead anyone to conclude
that we would take money from our people," he said.

Schultz vowed
that the company would appeal the ruling and defend itself against two
similar lawsuits filed this week in Minnesota and Massachusetts.

ISRAEL: Histadrut, 'Coffee Bean' sign breakthrough labor agreement

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:57:47 -0400

By Haim Bior, Haaretz Correspondent

The
Histadrut labor federation and the coffee shop chain "The Coffee Bean"
signed a labor agreement on Tuesday, ending a long dispute between the
company's employees in the 14 branches nationwide and the management.

This marks the first collective agreement between the Histadrut and a restaurant.

The agreement will allocate 10 percent of the chain's yearly profit
to its employees. In addition, an employee who works for at least a
year in the chain will receive benefits reaching between half their
salary and a full salary.

97% of Coffee Drinkers Call the Bluff on Starbucks "Training" Closure [Nation's Restaurant News]

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:37:27 -0400

Study: Starbucks closed-door training had little impact on patrons

CHICAGO (Mar. 13, 2008) Starbucks Coffee's closing of more than 7,000 domestic units for three hours last month to retrain baristas appears to have caused minor inconvenience to its customers and little gain for the Seattle-based chain’s competitors, according to a recent independent survey by a market research group here.

However, only 3 percent of the 1,000 people surveyed said the closed-door training session proved that Starbucks was improving service.

The study, conducting by Synovate, a research arm of Aegis Group PLC reached 1,000 American coffee drinkers and asked them whether they knew about the store closings, how it impacted them and whether they chose to visit another restaurant for coffee.

The majority of respondents, 94 percent, said the closing did not impact them in any way. Of the 544 who identified themselves as Starbucks customers, 88 percent said they purchased coffee from another store while Starbucks was closed from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 26 for the employee training session. Twelve percent said they waited for Starbucks to reopen.

Of those who bought coffee at another restaurant during the Starbucks’ closings, 20 percent took advantage of Dunkin' Donuts' 99 cent coffee offer at the time. Fewer than 14 percent went to McDonalds for coffee.

Starbucks Baristas Win California Tip Case

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:39:11 -0400

Starbucks may owe millions

Company liable for violating law, giving managers cut of tips
By Greg Moran
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

March 12, 2008

When exactly the tip jar became a staple of the decor in coffeehouses, restaurants, bars, or dry cleaners isn't really known. Not even Wikipedia has an entry for the term.

A class-action suit contends that Starbucks' policy of sharing tips between baristas and shift supervisors violates California labor laws.
But the humble tip jar is at the center of a potentially multimillion-dollar case in San Diego Superior Court involving coffee giant Starbucks and an estimated 120,000 of its baristas, the workers who grind the beans and froth the milk for lattes and cappuccinos.