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» How To Make This Union Grow?

How to make this union grow?

Submitted by Barista537 on Thu, 10/27/2005 - 5:09pm.

Sure, we can take our time replying to the "anti-unionists" comments or we can put our minds together and figure out how to make this union grow...

my opinon, in a word: $$$MONEY$$$

It is the main reason starbucks doesn't want a union to form, and so far they have the upperhand because they have the funds (ie. bribing workers, paying people to be anti-unionists) yes, money is a very powerful tool. so lets level the playing field a little =)

Yes donation and contributions are great; membership fees, uh huh. but they only go so far. only those passionate enough contribute. And with my small wage at sbux, its gonna be hard convincing me to donate money without getting something in return.

now i don't know how this whole union thing works as far as the legal aspects go. but i for one would love to BUY a T-SHIRT with a "starbucks workers union" logo on it. so! why not have starbucks union hats, t-shirts, etc... for our members? we can have a T-shirt design contest on the forum, or some artist can come up with the design and we can choose. we can then take it to a publishing company such as www.cafepress.com and have our t-shirts made. It can be made "on demand" while generation cash.

I dunno, but thats my idea. I like to hear your ideas about how to make this union grow. lets all look into it =)

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DontFormAUnion Says:
Fri, 10/28/2005 - 5:01pm

That is silly, who would want such a pathetic attempt at unionizing plastered all over their body?

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TheAvantGardeExists Says:
Tue, 11/01/2005 - 11:01pm

Dealing with extraordinary success of the Starbucks phenomena is very stressful.
Starbucks Workers Union could create an Employee Stress Compensation Program.

The Starbucks Employee Stress Compensation Program

The Starbucks Employee Stress Compensation Program can collect “union dues” that drive the compensation of the program. Employees would pay for this program out of their own pocket. According to 2004 figures Starbucks employs 96,700 employees. If 10% (9,670) of the employees joined The Starbucks Employee Stress Compensation Program and allocated $7.00 every two weeks ($14.00 a month) by months end $135,380 dollars would be collected into an escrow account.

From this sum 10%-15% could be used to fund the infrastructure of the program. The remaining money would be distributed at random to the participating members as Stress Compensation ranging anywhere from $100 to $25,000. Obviously not everyone will win. Those who do would not be allowed win the next month but they would still have to pay their union dues. Since the Program is by and for the employees a democratic process could survey the participants and find out how much lump sums everyone wants distributed to members from month to month. Every detail of the Stress Compensation program could be voted on by its members. For instance should $100 dollars be the lowest compensation for stress? Or should it be $50? If a person is compensated for $50 one month are they eligible for compensation the next month? All union dues can be collected via a Paypal account and randomly selected by a third-party company.

$135,380 can be divided up according to survey results. One scenario is as follows:

2 Randomly Selected Employees Receive $25,000

3 Randomly Selected Employees Receive $10,000

6 Randomly Selected Employees Receive $5,000

253 Randomly Selected Employees Receive $100

Personally I would want substantial sums to go to as many employees as possible. But what sum is that and how should it be divided? A survey would solve this and create a very interesting and addictive dynamic every month.

Why should a corporation like Starbucks endorse a Stress Compensation Program?

Because Starbucks can set a 21st Century Standard for a 21st Century Company

The Starbucks Employee Stress Compensation Program will:

1) Ensure employee loyalty.
2) Establish a more relaxed, less stressful and more enjoyable working environment.
3) Attract more employees.
4) Retain current employees
5) Lift employee moral, spirit, and enhance the collective drive for success.

If necessary Starbucks Union could justify the Stress Compensation Program by having participants of the program take part in a survey designed to monitor daily stress levels.

At the end of every shift (or day) a sheet (or a web page) is filled out that answers the following questions or some similar too:

How many customers did you wait on today?
How many were rude, crude and obnoxious?
How many were nice and pleasant to wait on?
On a level of 1-10 what is the level of stress you are experiencing now?
At the most stressful point of the day?
At the beginning of your shift?
Is the amount of pay you are receiving reasonable?
Is it fair?
Would you quit today given the opportunity for a job elsewhere?

TheAvantGardeExists!

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Laia Odo Says:
Sun, 05/07/2006 - 3:40am

Bah to cafe press! Silk screening is where it's at. The union Barristas in NYC have gotten quite good at it. And you are right, they are an excelent fundraiser...

Online sales aren't a bad idea though. The IWW store http://www.iww.org/store/shirts only carries generic union shirts...

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