Starbucks workers strike outside a Starbucks coffee shop on November 17, 2022 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
Why I Keep Working at Starbucks Despite Its Union-Busting
I stay because that’s exactly what the company fears, they want us to feel disposable, weak, and worthless. We refuse.
On a warm summer afternoon in Bellingham, my coworkers and I huddle around a single phone outside of my Starbucks, watching as our union election votes are counted. With every “yes"that is announced, we blow into the noisemakers held between our lips, a chorus alerting our coworkers inside the building of our results. Silence falls as the final vote is counted, until we erupt into jumps, cheers, and hugs. The results were in: a unanimous victory.
That unforgettable moment was nearly 10 months ago. Now, we stand among over 7,000 Starbucks workers across 270 organized stores. Yet, none of us have a contract.
Since my store's vote, our working conditions have only gotten worse. In my two years working at Starbucks, I have experienced a dramatic shift from when I first started; I've watched management cut my coworkers hours from 30 a week down to 15, where they no longer qualify for the company's 'incredible' benefits. When we used to expect six people working during our busy morning peaks, we're lucky to have four. We're constantly forced to do the work of two people while getting paid a wage that isn't enough for one.
When I tell people my story, the question I am most often asked—and admittedly one I ask myself—is “why do you stay at this job?”
The union gives us an opportunity to change the company's current trajectory, to reclaim the mission and values that they have abandoned.
Starbucks—led by the whims of former CEO Howard Schultz—has not only ignored our requests to bargain, but they've formulated these new working conditions to break our spirits. It's been incredibly difficult watching my coworkers, the friends I used to laugh with every day, be forced to take on a second job or to quit altogether. The sheer physical and emotional exhaustion from this job has overtaken the joy I used to feel while making lattes and talking to our regular customers; I find myself smiling less and less.
By these standards, the future appears bleak. And it would be, if not for the union behind us.
With a union, we have an opportunity to change the company's current trajectory, to reclaim the mission and values that they have abandoned. The union has brought my coworkers and I hope in times of distress, knowing that we have joined the thousands of others fighting for safety, security, and respect in our workplace. When I see supporters from across the country rooting for our campaign, it reminds me that this fight goes further than Starbucks or even fast food, our fight is for all working people.
Starbucks claims to be a 'different kind of company,' yet they have only shown me that they are dedicated to busting our union campaign and punishing its workers, and will spend millions of dollars to do so. However, this doesn't have to be the legacy of the company forever. With the recent change in CEOs, Starbucks has a new opportunity, one where they can return to the progressive company it once was, but that can only happen if they choose to listen to its workers and commit to negotiate a fair union contract.
So, returning to the question, why do I stay at this job?
I stay because I know that Starbucks can be so much more. This company wants its workers to feel disposable, weak, and worthless, however, joining the union has shown me that is not true. I know that I and every other barista deserve better, and that we will be the ones to change this company into one that lives up to its values. I stay to show Starbucks that they cannot break my spirit; I stay to see the day that we win our first contract and know that this long fight has all been worth it.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just three days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
On a warm summer afternoon in Bellingham, my coworkers and I huddle around a single phone outside of my Starbucks, watching as our union election votes are counted. With every “yes"that is announced, we blow into the noisemakers held between our lips, a chorus alerting our coworkers inside the building of our results. Silence falls as the final vote is counted, until we erupt into jumps, cheers, and hugs. The results were in: a unanimous victory.
That unforgettable moment was nearly 10 months ago. Now, we stand among over 7,000 Starbucks workers across 270 organized stores. Yet, none of us have a contract.
Since my store's vote, our working conditions have only gotten worse. In my two years working at Starbucks, I have experienced a dramatic shift from when I first started; I've watched management cut my coworkers hours from 30 a week down to 15, where they no longer qualify for the company's 'incredible' benefits. When we used to expect six people working during our busy morning peaks, we're lucky to have four. We're constantly forced to do the work of two people while getting paid a wage that isn't enough for one.
When I tell people my story, the question I am most often asked—and admittedly one I ask myself—is “why do you stay at this job?”
The union gives us an opportunity to change the company's current trajectory, to reclaim the mission and values that they have abandoned.
Starbucks—led by the whims of former CEO Howard Schultz—has not only ignored our requests to bargain, but they've formulated these new working conditions to break our spirits. It's been incredibly difficult watching my coworkers, the friends I used to laugh with every day, be forced to take on a second job or to quit altogether. The sheer physical and emotional exhaustion from this job has overtaken the joy I used to feel while making lattes and talking to our regular customers; I find myself smiling less and less.
By these standards, the future appears bleak. And it would be, if not for the union behind us.
With a union, we have an opportunity to change the company's current trajectory, to reclaim the mission and values that they have abandoned. The union has brought my coworkers and I hope in times of distress, knowing that we have joined the thousands of others fighting for safety, security, and respect in our workplace. When I see supporters from across the country rooting for our campaign, it reminds me that this fight goes further than Starbucks or even fast food, our fight is for all working people.
Starbucks claims to be a 'different kind of company,' yet they have only shown me that they are dedicated to busting our union campaign and punishing its workers, and will spend millions of dollars to do so. However, this doesn't have to be the legacy of the company forever. With the recent change in CEOs, Starbucks has a new opportunity, one where they can return to the progressive company it once was, but that can only happen if they choose to listen to its workers and commit to negotiate a fair union contract.
So, returning to the question, why do I stay at this job?
I stay because I know that Starbucks can be so much more. This company wants its workers to feel disposable, weak, and worthless, however, joining the union has shown me that is not true. I know that I and every other barista deserve better, and that we will be the ones to change this company into one that lives up to its values. I stay to show Starbucks that they cannot break my spirit; I stay to see the day that we win our first contract and know that this long fight has all been worth it.
- Behind Starbucks Union-Busting Stands CEO Who Got $940,000,000 Richer During Pandemic ›
- NLRB Requests 'Nationwide Cease and Desist Order' to Stop Union-Busting at Starbucks ›
- Opinion | Starbucks Doesn't Care the Costs, It Just Wants to Crush the Barista Unions | Common Dreams ›
- New Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol Has a History of Union-Busting | Common Dreams ›
On a warm summer afternoon in Bellingham, my coworkers and I huddle around a single phone outside of my Starbucks, watching as our union election votes are counted. With every “yes"that is announced, we blow into the noisemakers held between our lips, a chorus alerting our coworkers inside the building of our results. Silence falls as the final vote is counted, until we erupt into jumps, cheers, and hugs. The results were in: a unanimous victory.
That unforgettable moment was nearly 10 months ago. Now, we stand among over 7,000 Starbucks workers across 270 organized stores. Yet, none of us have a contract.
Since my store's vote, our working conditions have only gotten worse. In my two years working at Starbucks, I have experienced a dramatic shift from when I first started; I've watched management cut my coworkers hours from 30 a week down to 15, where they no longer qualify for the company's 'incredible' benefits. When we used to expect six people working during our busy morning peaks, we're lucky to have four. We're constantly forced to do the work of two people while getting paid a wage that isn't enough for one.
When I tell people my story, the question I am most often asked—and admittedly one I ask myself—is “why do you stay at this job?”
The union gives us an opportunity to change the company's current trajectory, to reclaim the mission and values that they have abandoned.
Starbucks—led by the whims of former CEO Howard Schultz—has not only ignored our requests to bargain, but they've formulated these new working conditions to break our spirits. It's been incredibly difficult watching my coworkers, the friends I used to laugh with every day, be forced to take on a second job or to quit altogether. The sheer physical and emotional exhaustion from this job has overtaken the joy I used to feel while making lattes and talking to our regular customers; I find myself smiling less and less.
By these standards, the future appears bleak. And it would be, if not for the union behind us.
With a union, we have an opportunity to change the company's current trajectory, to reclaim the mission and values that they have abandoned. The union has brought my coworkers and I hope in times of distress, knowing that we have joined the thousands of others fighting for safety, security, and respect in our workplace. When I see supporters from across the country rooting for our campaign, it reminds me that this fight goes further than Starbucks or even fast food, our fight is for all working people.
Starbucks claims to be a 'different kind of company,' yet they have only shown me that they are dedicated to busting our union campaign and punishing its workers, and will spend millions of dollars to do so. However, this doesn't have to be the legacy of the company forever. With the recent change in CEOs, Starbucks has a new opportunity, one where they can return to the progressive company it once was, but that can only happen if they choose to listen to its workers and commit to negotiate a fair union contract.
So, returning to the question, why do I stay at this job?
I stay because I know that Starbucks can be so much more. This company wants its workers to feel disposable, weak, and worthless, however, joining the union has shown me that is not true. I know that I and every other barista deserve better, and that we will be the ones to change this company into one that lives up to its values. I stay to show Starbucks that they cannot break my spirit; I stay to see the day that we win our first contract and know that this long fight has all been worth it.
- Behind Starbucks Union-Busting Stands CEO Who Got $940,000,000 Richer During Pandemic ›
- NLRB Requests 'Nationwide Cease and Desist Order' to Stop Union-Busting at Starbucks ›
- Opinion | Starbucks Doesn't Care the Costs, It Just Wants to Crush the Barista Unions | Common Dreams ›
- New Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol Has a History of Union-Busting | Common Dreams ›