IWW Starbucks Union Organizers Daniel Gross, Joe Agins Prevail at Labor Board + More

Submitted by SWU on Tue, 04/03/2007 - 2:35am.

April 3, 2007

New Labor Board Complaint Exposes Deep, Lengthy Anti-Union Effort by Starbucks

LABOR BOARD COMPLAINT ATTACHED

New York, NY- Just over a year after settling
extensive labor charges against it, the Starbucks
Coffee Co. is the target of a new National Labor
Relations Board complaint over the termination of IWW
Starbucks Workers Union (SWU) organizers Daniel Gross and Joe Agins, Jr., and a host of other unlawful anti-union tactics. The government complaint is the result of an independent Labor Board investigation triggered by charges from the SWU [StarbucksUnion.org].

"This Labor Board complaint reveals that repeat-offender Starbucks is an unrepentant violator of workers' rights," said Daniel Gross, the outspoken former barista whose termination after a false allegation by Starbucks was deemed unlawful by the Labor Board. "Starbucks left the rule of law behind when the union campaign started in 2004 and according to this complaint has yet to return. It's remarkable that our union is growing stronger everyday despite an almost three year campaign of illegal dirty tricks to defeat us."

Highlights of the Labor Board complaint against
Starbucks include allegations that the coffee giant:

-Unlawfully fired two IWW baristas in retaliation for
union activity
-Illegally disciplined workers for discussing the
union during and after work
-Threatened, issued negative performance reviews, and
suspended workers for supporting the union
-And much more

The IWW Starbucks Workers Union is an organization of
employees at the world's largest coffee chain united
for a living wage, secure work hours, and affordable
health care. The SWU does not seek to represent
Starbucks stores through the flawed union
certification system; instead, employees use direct
pressure to win workplace demands together. Pressure
from the union has resulted in multiple wage increases
and improved working conditions at Starbucks. The SWU
has a public organized presence at nine Starbucks
stores spanning four states and Starbucks baristas who
have not yet made their union membership public are
organizing in several other states.

Despite its socially responsible image, Starbucks pays
workers a starting wage in the $6, $7, or $8 per hour
range and refuses to guarantee work hours from
week-to-week. Many Starbucks baristas therefore live
at or below the federal poverty line. The majority of
Starbucks employees do not have company health
insurance. In fact, Starbucks insures a lower
percentage of its workforce than Wal-Mart.

A trial against Starbucks on the new charges is
currently set for June 12, 2007 at the Labor Board in
Manhattan. The wide-ranging complaint cites
violations spanning over four Starbucks cafes and
implicates more than ten company officials.

###

BACKGROUND:

Text of SBUX Settlement #1:
http://starbucksunion.org/files/usgovsettle.pdf

Termination of SWU Organizer Daniel Gross:
http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2006/08/08/starbucks_fires_union_organizer/