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Striking Starbucks workers say management is ignoring a bed bug infestation [1]
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Date: 2022-10-26
x Starbucks Union workers at NYC's Chelsea Market are on strike today over health and safety issues, including a moldy ice machine and bed bugs in the employee breakroom. pic.twitter.com/Aozby6nCiG — Sam Blum (@SammBlum) October 26, 2022
At the handful of bargaining sessions scheduled for this week, Starbucks management quickly walked out, objecting to the fact that members of the union’s national bargaining committee were observing via Zoom. Workers, though, say there were no ground rules barring remote observers, and since the management walk-outs come after the company delayed beginning negotiations for months and continues to refuse to bargain with most of its unionized stores, this looks an awful lot like a pretext to continue delaying. Starbucks’ insistence that meetings have to be fully in person is a particularly obvious ploy, since management has in some cases insisted on last-minute changes that left workers unable to attend … because of their work schedules at Starbucks.
Workers documented the course of a planned bargaining session for one Buffalo-area store. First, the corporate team was late:
x While workers showed up on time, it’s too bad that Starbucks lawyers are so late. If this had been at one of our stores, that would have resulted in AT LEAST a verbal coaching. pic.twitter.com/CIU57wtGUQ — Starbucks Workers United (@SBWorkersUnited) October 24, 2022
The management negotiators said they were outside the conference room waiting for chairs. Which is funny, since it sure looks like there were chairs there. After arriving late, they stayed for five minutes, then left for two hours before returning to say only that they would not participate if anyone was observing remotely.
x Starbucks is now refusing to bargain — or even listen to our proposals — because a few workers are joining the session virtually. pic.twitter.com/GLHSOnR96L — Starbucks Workers United (@SBWorkersUnited) October 24, 2022
Starbucks management—or its high-priced anti-union attorneys—pulled the same act in five locations:
x Starbucks corporate attorneys have already left our bargaining session. Quoting their lead attorney:
“You might as well read your proposals in another room, because we’re not going to listen.”
Then they left. We only presented 5 proposals, and have 20 more to present. — PJB Workers United (@PJBWU) October 25, 2022
x We’re back at the bargaining table in Philly, ready for Day 2 of negotiations with Starbucks!
Will corporate run away again rather than listen to our proposals? pic.twitter.com/8MgQpGWs2k — PJB Workers United (@PJBWU) October 26, 2022
One theme of Starbucks’ union-busting campaign has been that the union is a separate entity, and that “there are no partners at the table, just lawyers and union reps.” But we can see clearly here that it’s Starbucks workers (or “partners,” in corporate terminology) at the table, and management’s lawyers walking away because more workers are observing remotely.
Starbucks is desperate to blunt the momentum of the union wave at its stores, and delaying negotiations and wasting people’s time is an obvious part of that effort. No doubt the company paid Littler Mendelson, its union-busting law firm, plenty of money to implement the strategy.
Sign and send the petition to Starbucks company leadership and board: Stop union-busting and sign the Fair Election Principles.
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