FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2022
media@workers-united.org
New York, NY – On the heels of the massive union victory at the NYC Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Chelsea earlier this month, and unanimous wins at stores across the country over the last few days, four more stores in NYC and the metro area filed union petitions today. The stores that filed today include the Williamsburg Reserve cafe (Brooklyn), and stores in Nanuet (Rockland County), Westbury (Long Island) and Astoria – 31st Street/Ditmars Blvd (Queens). With today’s filings, the total number of Starbucks union petitions in downstate NY stands at ten, and more than 200 nation-wide. Of 22 elections conducted thus far there have been 20 victories and two challenged elections.
From the partners:
“We are forming a union due to the negligence of upper management and the struggling of our co-workers. In instilling the partner mentality, Starbucks laid the groundwork for us caring about our co-workers as people and forming a union is the obvious next step. Starbucks’ mission is “to inspire the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.” And that is what we are doing. – Cristian Ramirez Sanchez, Starbucks partner of 2.5 years, Nanuet (Rockland County)
“We are supposed to be partners in a larger community, but we feel so very alone in the challenges we are facing. We decided to organize a union to help us and to help everyone.” – Jen Dunn, Starbucks partner of 1.5 years, Westbury – The Gallery (Long Island)
“Our team at North 7 is standing to unionize. Joining in on finally being heard and not undermined or overlooked. To Reserve our voice at the table.” – Arianna Ayala, Starbucks partner of 1 year, Williamsburg Reserve (Brooklyn)
“We have been underpaid, short-staffed, and subject to inhumane conditions for long enough. It’s clear Starbucks and the capitalist class as a whole does not care about workers and will continue to protect their interests at our expense. We stand in solidarity with all workers everywhere in their fight to better conditions, particularly the farmworkers and factory workers in the imperialist production chain owned by Starbucks. The working class keeps the world running and united there’s nothing we cannot do.” – Austin Locke, Starbucks partner of 5 years, Astoria – 31st Street/Ditmars Blvd (Queens)
The Starbucks Workers United campaign continues to grow steam despite a pervasive union busting campaign that has involved one-on-one employee meetings with management, group captive audience meetings conducted by management, anti-union materials being distributed at the store, and employee write-ups for minor infractions like lateness that occurred many months prior. Since Howard Schultz’s return, the union-busting campaign has only worsened – the company has put out fake tweets they attribute to the union and Schultz has announced possible new benefits for Starbucks employees that he erroneously stated could not be provided to unionized employees.
Across the country Starbucks has relied on retaliatory practices to intimidate partners. Starbucks has temporarily closed stores that were seeking to unionize in Buffalo, as well as fired union leaders there. They also fired the “Memphis Seven,” a group of partners seeking to unionize their store in Tennessee, in retaliation for their union organizing. The company has continued to refuse to sign the Fair Election Principles which shows a lack of commitment to neutrality towards the organizing workers, and they have contracted with notorious union-busting law firm Littler Mendelson. Workers United has filed more than 70 Unfair Labor Practice charges on behalf of organizing Starbucks partners across the country.
Mail ballots are currently out for elections at Astor Place, Ceasar’s Bay (Brooklyn) as well as at locations in Great Neck and Massapequa on Long Island, with vote counts expected in the next few weeks. Mail ballots will go out for Astoria – Astoria Blvd./31st St. on May 6th. The union has requested mail ballot elections for the stores filed today with a mail out date of May 5th.
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About: Starbucks Workers United is a union of Stabucks Workers, by Starbucks Workers, for Starbucks Workers, organizing with the support of Workers United.
Twitter / Instagram / Facebook: @SBWorkersUnited @WorkersUnitedNY