SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Starbucks Workers United members and supporters--including Socialist Alternative Seattle City Council Member Kshama Sawant (front, right) protest at a January 25, 2022 rally in support of unionization in Seattle. (Photo: Starbucks Workers United/Twitter)
NLRB Complaint Accuses Starbucks of Retaliating Against Union Leaders
The federal agency said the company "has been interfering with, restraining, and coercing employees" seeking to unionize in Arizona.
Mar 15, 2022
The National Labor Relations Board on Tuesday filed a complaint on behalf of Starbucks Workers United--a labor group helping employees at nearly 140 U.S. Starbucks stores to unionize--alleging the coffee giant retaliated and discriminated against union leaders in Phoenix, Arizona.
According to Bloomberg, the Phoenix NLRB regional director formally accused Starbucks of illegally surveilling and retaliating against workers seeking to unionize.
The federal agency said the company "has been interfering with, restraining, and coercing employees."
Starbucks Workers United this week also filed charges with the NLRB accusing Starbucks of slashing worker hours in a deliberate union-busting bid.
"These hours cuts are in swift response to workplace organizing campaigns at Starbucks stores around the country," the union said, according to More Perfect Union.
"The reduction of hours has resulted in lost pay; has rendered, or will soon render, employees ineligible for benefits that have hours-worked eligibility requirements, including healthcare coverage and the Starbucks College Achievement Plan (tuition coverage); and has or will soon result in the constructive discharge of Starbucks employees," the complaint--which alleges that the shift cuts are occurring in at least 20 states--says.
"In the eight years I've worked for Starbucks, I've never seen the company slash hours this severely or this widely," Sarah Pappin, a Starbucks shift supervisor in Seattle, told More Perfect Union. "While it's true we trim hours in January and February, I've never [seen] us cut hours like this in March when our business is already ramping up for the season."
"Many of my coworkers have no idea how they're going to pay rent for April," Pappin added. "Some of my core that were previously getting scheduled 20-plus hours a week are being scheduled less than 10 now."
Joseph Thompson, a barista at a Santa Cruz, California Starbucks, said in a statement that "as a full-time, low-income college student, I rely on at least 20 hours a week for benefits and paying bills. Living paycheck to paycheck is already hard, but now that Starbucks is cutting hours across the board and targeting union leaders, [it] just further emphasizes the need for a union."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The National Labor Relations Board on Tuesday filed a complaint on behalf of Starbucks Workers United--a labor group helping employees at nearly 140 U.S. Starbucks stores to unionize--alleging the coffee giant retaliated and discriminated against union leaders in Phoenix, Arizona.
According to Bloomberg, the Phoenix NLRB regional director formally accused Starbucks of illegally surveilling and retaliating against workers seeking to unionize.
The federal agency said the company "has been interfering with, restraining, and coercing employees."
Starbucks Workers United this week also filed charges with the NLRB accusing Starbucks of slashing worker hours in a deliberate union-busting bid.
"These hours cuts are in swift response to workplace organizing campaigns at Starbucks stores around the country," the union said, according to More Perfect Union.
"The reduction of hours has resulted in lost pay; has rendered, or will soon render, employees ineligible for benefits that have hours-worked eligibility requirements, including healthcare coverage and the Starbucks College Achievement Plan (tuition coverage); and has or will soon result in the constructive discharge of Starbucks employees," the complaint--which alleges that the shift cuts are occurring in at least 20 states--says.
"In the eight years I've worked for Starbucks, I've never seen the company slash hours this severely or this widely," Sarah Pappin, a Starbucks shift supervisor in Seattle, told More Perfect Union. "While it's true we trim hours in January and February, I've never [seen] us cut hours like this in March when our business is already ramping up for the season."
"Many of my coworkers have no idea how they're going to pay rent for April," Pappin added. "Some of my core that were previously getting scheduled 20-plus hours a week are being scheduled less than 10 now."
Joseph Thompson, a barista at a Santa Cruz, California Starbucks, said in a statement that "as a full-time, low-income college student, I rely on at least 20 hours a week for benefits and paying bills. Living paycheck to paycheck is already hard, but now that Starbucks is cutting hours across the board and targeting union leaders, [it] just further emphasizes the need for a union."
The National Labor Relations Board on Tuesday filed a complaint on behalf of Starbucks Workers United--a labor group helping employees at nearly 140 U.S. Starbucks stores to unionize--alleging the coffee giant retaliated and discriminated against union leaders in Phoenix, Arizona.
According to Bloomberg, the Phoenix NLRB regional director formally accused Starbucks of illegally surveilling and retaliating against workers seeking to unionize.
The federal agency said the company "has been interfering with, restraining, and coercing employees."
Starbucks Workers United this week also filed charges with the NLRB accusing Starbucks of slashing worker hours in a deliberate union-busting bid.
"These hours cuts are in swift response to workplace organizing campaigns at Starbucks stores around the country," the union said, according to More Perfect Union.
"The reduction of hours has resulted in lost pay; has rendered, or will soon render, employees ineligible for benefits that have hours-worked eligibility requirements, including healthcare coverage and the Starbucks College Achievement Plan (tuition coverage); and has or will soon result in the constructive discharge of Starbucks employees," the complaint--which alleges that the shift cuts are occurring in at least 20 states--says.
"In the eight years I've worked for Starbucks, I've never seen the company slash hours this severely or this widely," Sarah Pappin, a Starbucks shift supervisor in Seattle, told More Perfect Union. "While it's true we trim hours in January and February, I've never [seen] us cut hours like this in March when our business is already ramping up for the season."
"Many of my coworkers have no idea how they're going to pay rent for April," Pappin added. "Some of my core that were previously getting scheduled 20-plus hours a week are being scheduled less than 10 now."
Joseph Thompson, a barista at a Santa Cruz, California Starbucks, said in a statement that "as a full-time, low-income college student, I rely on at least 20 hours a week for benefits and paying bills. Living paycheck to paycheck is already hard, but now that Starbucks is cutting hours across the board and targeting union leaders, [it] just further emphasizes the need for a union."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy