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      Starbucks workers strike outside a Starbucks coffee shop

      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.

      Shannon Butler
      Apr 13, 2023

      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?”

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      Starbucks chief executive officer Laxman Narasimhan attends the AfroTech Executive Seattle Event at Four Seasons Hotel on March 30, 2023. ​

      Hundreds of Progressive Groups Back Starbucks Union Push as New CEO Arrives

      "Instead of continuing on the current path Starbucks has taken, we urge you to create and build a healthy working relationship with unionized partners."

      Jessica Corbett
      Apr 11, 2023

      A progressive coalition representing 62 million people and nearly 500 member organizations on Tuesday urged new Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan to end the coffee giant's hostility toward unioned workers and organizers across the United States.

      Since workers in Buffalo, New York won a historic election to form Starbucks' first U.S. union in December 2021, employees at hundreds of locations throughout the nation have started organizing—and have been met with union-busting tactics from the company.

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      What Unionized Starbucks Workers Think of Howard Schultz' Testimony to Bernie Sanders

      What Unionized Starbucks Workers Think of Howard Schultz' Testimony to Bernie Sanders

      Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz was grilled over alleged union busting in front of a congressional committee this week. That's not something you normally see in Washington.

      Saurav Sarkar
      Apr 02, 2023

      The latest round in the fight between Starbucks and its nascent barista network — Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) — came to a head on Wednesday with the appearance of former CEO and current board member Howard Schultz at the Senate Committee on Housing, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP).

      “It was honestly hard not to laugh out loud at some of the [bald-faced] lies he told,” said James Greene, a fired Starbucks shift supervisor in the Pittsburgh area.

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