Brighton Starbucks Workers Protest In First Chain Strike In Boston

BOSTON, MA - More than 30 Starbucks employees and supporters rallied at a Brighton Starbucks in Cleveland Circle Tuesday morning in the chain's first unionized Boston strike, citing unsafe working conditions on Memorial Day.

They were told to keep serving coffee as the roof leaked yellow water onto them and the beverages, several employees told Patch.

"This is our first unionized strike in Boston so far," employee organizer Willow Montana confirmed as she held a microphone in one hand. "We became a union shop as of two weeks ago."

As she spoke, the growing crowd chanted, "Baristas united! We'll never be divided." Cars honked their horns in solidarity for the strikers while workers handed out fliers about the situation.

"When baristas are under attack, what do we do?" she yelled.

"We fight back!" the group chanted.

"I was told not to come in yesterday," Montana said, noting she works the closing shift. "I don't think it's fair that we're losing out on pay."

While the chain has been in the spotlight nationally and locally after Allston and Brookline voted last month to unionize, it was the store manager's response to the roof leaking on Monday that prompted employees to shut down the coffee shop, although tensions already had been brewing about what they said were unfair wages.

"I came in yesterday, and there was water all over the ground," said Corey Miller, who had come in at 3 a.m. because he was in charge of the shift for the holiday." It went from a trickle to a stream. I called the manager as I was cleaning it up, and I put down a bucket. He just told me, 'So put down another bucket.'"

Miller, who has worked there for eight years, reported the leak but was told that no one would come to fix it on the Memorial Day holiday, he added. He said that manager Marvin Harris told him to keep Starbucks open despite water pouring over the counter and saturating the floor, causing a safety hazard.

The roof leak occurred over the corner area where customers pick up their beverages, he explained. By 8:40 a.m. Monday, yellow water from the roof dripped onto cups and equipment and eventually wet the electrical wires.

"It was torrential," Miller said. "There was no way to stop it. Our water filtering system came right off the walls.

"When it rains, it pours," he added, noting that workers lost out on holiday pay and will continue to lose wages as long as they are on strike.

He called Harris again Monday morning in the hope that he would allow the store to close.

"We were getting splashed by this yellow water," Miller said, noting that the flooded floor made it unsafe for customers. Harris came to assess the situation but told employees to keep serving drinks at the door. Miller said Harris then called the district manager, who "told him to shut it down."

"I'm not trying to slam him," Miller said. "But there was no way our district manager would want us to serve coffee covered in yellow water."

There were other reasons for the strike, he explained, including what he said were unfair wages and a breakdown in communication between employees and management. But this situation was the tipping point for Miller.

"I tried calling my manager and the district manager three times to see if we should open today," he said. "They wouldn't take my calls. So here we are."

Barista Mariah Sunday has been working at this Starbucks for four months.

"I was supposed to work 3 to 9," she said. "The water was coming down like a waterfall all over the espresso machines and the cups on the counter. We were told to take the drinks to the door and serve them."

Sunday said she was concerned because it hadn't rained in a few days, so all the water had pooled and could have formed bacteria that then dripped onto cups and employees.

"I thought that everything should have been shut down then," she added. "I would have just given out gift cards to customers."

The store is frequented by Boston College students and area professionals. Now the steady stream of customers has been shut down by a flood.

"It wasn't a safe place for us to be, nor an attractive one," said Natalie, a barista who said she was told by the manager to serve coffee from the door. "Safety and attractiveness matters in retail."

She said she got "mixed messaging" from management about staying open.

"There was water raining from the light sockets," she continued. "We couldn't make espresso drinks. I didn't feel great about inviting people into a space that was actively raining."

The BC student added that she worked that day because of the holiday pay that she now won't receive. The staff of about 20 members "has been extremely supportive of each other" during the situation.

Jacob deBlecourt, director of public policy for Boston City Councilor At-Large Julia Mejia and a local resident, joined in the protest. Mejia serves as the council's chair of the Committee of Labor, Workforce, and Economic Development.

"I saw it on Twitter, and I live right around the corner," he said. "I also wanted to come out on behalf of Councilor Mejia to see what we could do."

DeBlecourt noted that the office has helped other unions, including at Logan Airport.

"Supporting unions doesn't just help local workers," he added. "It's supporting the entire community"

A protester who asked to be identified as Constance, a "regular customer" as well as a fellow barista at an area coffee house, noted similar issues regarding wages in the industry.

"I just think it's really it's important for us to stand together," Constance said. "When we come out here and stand up for each other, [expletive] happens. It makes a big difference."