Union Rally At Meatpacking District Starbucks Nixed Due To COVID

MEATPACKING DISTRICT, NY — A Friday rally outside the Roastery Starbucks in the Meatpacking District in response to union-busting allegations against the coffee company has been canceled after confirmed COVID cases among the Lower Manhattan employees, a spokesperson from Starbucks Workers United told Patch.

The Starbucks storefront, just a block north of the West Village at 61 9th Ave., was one of the first three locations in New York City to announce it was seeking to unionize.

The now-canceled rally was in conjunction with recently filed Unfair Labor Practice allegations with the National Labor Relations Board on behalf of Starbucks employees in Great Neck and Manhattan that accused the coffee company of using illegal union-busting practices.

Starbucks Workers United say those practices include threatening the loss of income, the threat of loss of opportunities for promotion, the threat of loss of holiday time and benefits, disciplinary action, and the threat of termination of part-time employees who refused to work more hours.

"A partner’s interest in the union does not exempt them from the standards we have always held," a spokesperson from Starbucks told Patch. "We will continue to enforce our policies consistently for all partners and we will follow the NLRB’s process to resolve this complaint. Claims of anti-union activity are categorically false.”

A large portion of the Roastery was shut down on Wednesday due to the confirmed COVID cases and exposures, resulting in organizers deciding to cancel the rally to protect the health and safety of the Starbucks partners, campaign, supporters, and other attendees.

Attorney General Tish James was set to speak.

The rally was expected to take place at 2 p.m. on Friday at the Roastery at the same time as a rally taking place in Buffalo, where the Starbucks unionizing effort began.

The first union elections in NYC will be an in-person vote at the Roastery (manufacturing) on March 31 and the Roastery (retail) on April 1.

It is unclear if the COVID outbreak will affect the election.