On Wednesday, as Starbucks welcomed their new CEO, Laxman Narasimhan, a strike by unionized Starbucks baristas against the company’s alleged anti-union intimidation was planned at about 100 locations. In Seattle, striking baristas from Oregon and Washington came together for a lunchtime protest in front of the Starbucks corporate office. According to Bloomberg, the work stoppage is the latest move by the union Starbucks Workers Union to impose changes at the major coffee company.
After claiming an early historic victory in Buffalo, New York, 15 months ago, the union has won elections at about 290 of the company’s over 9,000 corporate-owned US cafés. However, as a result of workers’ allegations that the business has been retaliating against them in stores and postponing negotiations, the number of fresh petitions for union registration has fallen.
Earlier this week, Starbucks made the following statements: (1) It offers perks that are unparalleled in the sector; (2) It respects employees’ rights to organize and demonstrate; and (3) It sees keeping open lines of communication with its staff as vital to its culture.
Any claims of anti-union activity there, according to the corporation, are “categorically false.” Starbucks alleges that the union did not treat it properly and that US labor board officials are trying to use legal actions against the company to establish new precedents that would change existing labor legislation.
The walkout happens the day before Starbucks’ annual shareholder meeting
The walkout happens the day before Starbucks’ annual shareholder meeting, which will be Laxman Narasimhan’s first as CEO after taking over from Howard Schultz this week. Senators will question Schultz during a hearing next week after investors, mainly pension funds from New York City, presented a resolution this year asking the business to conduct a labor-rights audit.
The National Labor Relations Board’s regional directors have filed 80 accusations alleging that the business broke the law to obstruct organizing efforts, including by denying new benefits to unionized stores, closing cafés, and terminating a large number of activists.