What’s Brewing at Starbucks?

Baristas at Long Island Starbucks have caught union fever. So far Starbucks in Great Neck, Farmingville, and Massapequa are in the midst of unionizing.

The reasons workers at Starbucks are unionizing is familiar to workers everywhere: they want a greater say in how their workplace is run and they want to feel appreciated and valued. Many feel it’s not fair that higher level management had more say than they did when it came to coronavirus safety protocol and there were complaints that management did little to enforce a mask mandate on customers. Better pay, more training and hiring more staff are also issues.

Starbucks has taken notice. In March the company brought back Howard Schultz as its interim chief executive until a permanent replacement is found by the fall. He is also rejoining the company’s board. Schultz is an effective weapon in Starbucks’ arsenal to fight unionizing efforts. Schultz has said that Starbucks is being “assaulted in many ways by the threat of unionization.” And has called unions, “a menace to the company’s economics and future.”

Schulz has made false claims that he was the first executive to grant part time workers health coverage. This was part of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union contract that was negotiated before his arrival. He said he would honor that contract then immediate tried to renegotiate it. During said negotiations he refused to offer any new benefits, wanted to make cuts to healthcare and wanted the right to change working conditions unilaterally. He proceeded to stoke anti-union sentiment and partnered with a worker who worked with management and an anti-union lawyer to successfully decertify the union in late 1987.

Starbucks has a history of union busting. In the mid-2000s workers attempted to unionize with the Industrial Workers of the World. Starbucks padded stores with known anti-union employees, forbade workers from talking about the union and fired three workers in retaliation for their role in union organizing.

Today Starbucks sends workers anti-union text messages, has captive audience meetings, mandates two on one meeting between workers and managers to dissuade workers from joining a union.

And the latest shot taken at union efforts, Starbucks announced pay raises that would only go to stores that are not unionizing.

Union groups on Long Island have shown their support for their working brothers and sisters by showing up at Starbucks that are attempting to unionize and when they order a drink instead of giving their name they give a pro union slogan like Union Yes or Union Strong.

You can do the same. Anytime you walk into your favorite Starbucks give them a pro union slogan instead of your name to show them you support their efforts to unionize.