Bit of welcome good news. Please forward this in your networks. Thanks.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
IWW Starbucks Workers Union
Union for Starbucks Workers Expands to Grand Rapids
Wealthy St. Starbucks (2172 Wealthy SE) makes Michigan the fourth state with Starbucks Workers Union members
Contact:
Grand Rapids: Cole Dorsey, Barista and Union Member
616-881-5263
Chicago: Joe Tessone, Barista and Union Member
815-545-5273
New York: Daniel Gross, Organizer IWW Starbucks Workers Union
917-577-1110
Grand Rapids, MI 5/17/07- Baristas at Wealthy St. Starbucks in East Grand Rapids announced last night their membership in the IWW Starbucks Workers Union (www.starbucksunion.org), becoming the first store in Michigan to declare union membership at the world’s largest coffee chain.
Workers served Starbucks management at the café, located on 2172 Wealthy St. SE, with a declaration of union membership and a set of demands including a living wage, guaranteed work hours, reinstatement of IWW baristas fired for organizing activity, and respect for an independent voice on the job through union membership.
For a company as profitable as Starbucks my fellow baristas and I should be better compensated for our work, said Cole Dorsey, an IWW barista at the Wealthy St. store. We hope to build off the achievements already won by the IWW Starbucks Workers Union in New York and Chicago and improve our working conditions here in Grand Rapids.
After management got wind of the ‘union talk’ at Starbucks cafes in Grand Rapids all baristas citywide were forced to sign Starbucks corporate statement on unions.
One victory already won at the Wealthy St. store is more consistent scheduling, which came about directly after workers began discussing the union.
In stark contrast to its employee-friendly image, Starbucks workers in Grand Rapids and around the world face low wages and barriers to health care and other benefits. After years of promoting itself as a leader in employee health care, Starbucks was forced to admit that only 42% of its employees (including management) are covered by company health care- that figure is lower than Wal-Mart’s 47%, a company often condemned for its poor health care package.
In Grand Rapids, baristas start at only $7.25 per hour and, like all café workers at the company,are not guaranteed any number of work hours per week. Employees who expect to work full-time are often not given the necessary number of hours to qualify for health care benefits.
Founded in 2004, the IWW Starbucks Workers Union has won three wage increases, more consistent scheduling, and safety improvements at Starbucks stores across the country. The union uses direct pressure against the company on the job and in the community to win demands and remedy member grievances with management. The union’s organizing approach is known as solidarity unionism whereby workers themselves control their own organization; power is exerted without interference from the government or union bureaucrats; and organizing takes place regardless of certification status. Like many labor organizations, the IWW Starbucks Workers Union does not get involved in government certification elections because of the fatal flaws in that system. Starbucks does not recognize the union and is waging a relentless campaign to crush the organization, which resulted in a large complaint leveled against the company by the National Labor Relations Board. The government settlement agreement of those charges is available on the web at
http://www.starbucksunion.org/node/712.
Endorsers of the Grand Rapids Starbucks Workers Union campaign:
Denise Wurn, pharmacy tech
Alan Haber, woodworker
Ruth Borgett, office worker
Tom Rico, office worker
Gregg Shotwell, S.O.S
[soldiersofsolidarity]
Jim Griffin, Screen Actors Guild and
Michigan Emergency Committee
Against War and Injustice
William Frazier, Michigan Public School
Teacher
Shannon Williams, paramedic
Khedija Gadhoum, Ph.D., Assistant
Professor of Spanish / Latin
American Studies, Department
of Modern Languages and
Literatures, Latin American
Studies Program, Grand Valley
State University
Jeff Smith, Grand Rapids Institute for
Information Democracy
Kyle Taylor, University of Michigan,
Ross School of Business,
Educational Workers (IWW-620)
Mike Saunders, Division Ave Arts
Cooperative board member,
Plastic Son Productions, Co-
President
Todd M. Jordan, UAW Local 292
Ken Mathenia, retired member UAW local
651, Delphi, Flint
Jaron Siegel, owner, Natural Foods Co.
Rebecca Machiela, student, natural health
educator
Jennifer Loveless, student, cashier
Petra Alsoofy, student
mediamouse.org, Grand Rapids indymedia
Chuck Neller, Positive Images
Jackie Wood, social worker
Louis Palus, chef
Jean Cartier, Video Editor
Connie Cunningham, Artist
All City Kicks
Reb Roberts, Sanctuary Folk Art Gallery
Herm, Vertigo Music
Kathryn Kelley, Clerk
Mathew Russell
Richa
Richard Kuszmar
Jake Terpstra
Future of the Union.com
Mary Alison Cooper, Health Care Worker
Laura Casaletto, IGE Board member, and UFCW Local 951 member
Institute for Global Education
Matt Erard, University of Michigan.
Socialist Party of Michigan
Monroe for Peace and Justice IHM Justice
Radiant Justice Implementation Group
Jason Adams, PhD Student, University of Hawaii
Jamaal Cannon, Fresh Boutique & Native Sun Ink.
Grand Rapids Hip Hop Coalition
Students Against Sweatshops Grand Valley State University
Alicia Steele student
Heather Scheffler
Bev Pels student
Lori Freye
Claire O’Neill student
Lara Dendel student
Rodney Osip student
Kathy Sain
Deb Bosscher
Michael Tate Artist
Bill D. Heath
Aaron Bennett
Jim Jones
Pete Richardson Ph.D.
Center for the Ethnography of Everyday Life
Institute for Social Research
Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations
Department of Anthropology
University of Michigan
John K. Fitzpatrick, worker
Rick Tormala, 2nd Ward Grand Rapids City Commissioner
Chris V. , ACORN
David Grillo, University of Michigan School of Social Work
Benjamin Hunter,
Recoil Magazine Director of Public Relations
GVSU School of Communications Adjunct Professor
Grand Rapids Peace Team
James Jendrasiak, 1st Ward Grand Rapids City Commissioner
Tonya Cornelisse, Screen Actors Guild and Actors Equity Association
Lance Cohn - A.F.T. Loc. 1 (Chicago Teachers Union)
Jim Hofer, musician
Military Families Speak Out, Michigan Chapter
Jim Abbott, Detroit Branch-IWW
Mathew Cross, Professor, Macomb Community College
Brette Christe, Technical Writer
Stephen Ford, retired
Richard Kessler, Immigration Attorney
Suzanne Gasstner, Aquinas Professor
Audrey Eisele
Samantha Schwarz, student
Heidi DeYoung, Social Worker
Melissa Leitch, Seamstress
Christina Fong, Musician
Gloria Switzer
Matt Floyd
Mary Jo Herendeen, retired
Kate Lyon
Chelle Skinner
Lindsay Wallin
Dayle Maples, physician
James Q. Rose
Rachelle Mack, unemployed
Karen Pitts, unemployed
Jeff Vandenberg, self-employed
Levi Bailey, self-employed, musician
Ray McGovern, retired CIA Analyst
John Leitch, Student
Harvey Sanders, Student
Meaghann Matjas, Teacher
Pat Haggerty, Municipal Employee
Joel Klompenber, Municipal Employee
Peace Presence
Comment by Nate — May 17, 2007 @ 2:57 pm
For anyone in the UK:
IWW STARBUCKS WORKERS UNION SPECIAL EVENT
TWO SHORT FILMS BY NEW YORK CITY IWW MEMBER DIANE KRAUTHAMER: “TOGETHER WE WIN: THE FIGHT TO ORGANISE STARBUCKS”
PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN UNDERCOVER DOCUMENTARY - UNION BUSTING IN STARBUCKS
This is a rare opportunity to find out about the historic and groundbreaking organising work taking place inside Starbucks in the US and to hear from the film-maker and other IWW organisers about the recent international campaigns by the IWW; Solidarity Federation; UNITE; CNT-F; CGT-F and CGT-E to organise Starbucks workers in the UK, New Zealand, Germany, France and Spain.
6.30pm food for 7.30pm start:
THURSDAY 7th JUNE 2007
THE BREAD AND ROSES
68 CLAPHAM MANOR STREET
LONDON SW4 6DZ
(nearest tube – Clapham North)
This event is hosted by the Industrial Workers of the World, London Branch with kind support from the Battersea & Wandsworth TUC
For more information please contact the IWW on:
07882 972 754
rocsec@iww.org.uk
www.iww.org.uk
www.starbucksunion.org
Comment by Nate — May 17, 2007 @ 3:00 pm
Anyone have information on the “Starbucks corporate statement on unions”? Seems like something like that is probably a ULP…
Comment by Colin Bossen — May 17, 2007 @ 6:38 pm
hi Colin,
I had the same thought. I think Jeff P has been in touch with the Grand Rapids folks, I’ll see if he knows anything. More good news just came into my inbox -
For Immediate Release:
IWW Starbucks Workers Union, StarbucksUnion.org
May 17, 2007
Contact: starbucksunion@yahoo.com
SWU Commemorates Third Anniversary as Union Expands to
Second Chicago Store
Workers Around the World Take Part in Day of Action
for Starbucks Workers and Farmers
Chicago, IL- A group of Starbucks baristas here
marched into their store today and served a
declaration of union membership on their store manager
as working people in countries around the globe
demonstrated in solidarity with Starbucks coffee
farmers and café workers.
“As members of the Industrial Workers of the World, we
won’t allow Starbucks to play dice with the amount of
work hours we get each week,” said Liz Clarkson, an
IWW barista at the Chicago store. “Taking this action
for secure work hours and a livable wage on the third
anniversary of the SWU’s founding makes it all the
sweeter.”
Workers in countries including Austria, England, Spain
and Australia as well as several U.S. states
commemorated the founding of the IWW Starbucks Workers
Union [www.StarbucksUnion.org] by taking to the
streets in demonstrations against the Starbucks
union-busting and greenwashing operation.
May 17th also saw IWW baristas in Grand Rapids,
Michigan announce they are filing a legal challenge
against Starbucks’ unlawful anti-union campaign.
Starbucks, among other things, initiated a four-camera
surveillance system with controversial security
contractor Diebold to monitor barista organizing
activity in Grand Rapids. The company will now have
to muster a legal defense on two fronts as Starbucks
is set to go to trial over its relentless New York
City union-busting effort this summer. Six IWW
baristas remain out of a job through retaliatory
firings by Starbucks.
“Starbucks’ crude union-busting is not welcome in our
store or in any store,” said Cole Dorsey, an IWW
barista at the Grand Rapids location. “Chairman
Howard Schultz needs to pay baristas and coffee
farmers fairly and get over his deep-seated aversion
to unions.”
In contrast to its carefully crafted socially
responsible image, Starbucks pays a poverty wage and
maintains a 100% part-time café workforce. 75,000
Starbucks workers in the United States are without
company health insurance. The coffee giant actually
insures a lower percentage of its workforce than
Wal-Mart. The Starbucks work environment is extremely
fast-paced and strains, burns, and exhaustion are
common. At the same time, coffee farmers growing
beans for Starbucks contend with malnourishment and
difficulty accessing clean water.
The IWW Starbucks Workers Union is an organization of
employees at the world’s largest coffee chain united
for a living wage, secure work hours, and respect on
the job. Just three years after creating the first
union in the United States at Starbucks, IWW baristas
at ten stores in four states are publicly fighting and
winning on workplace demands while baristas in several
other stores are organizing quietly until they reach a
critical mass of support.
Using an organizing model known as solidarity
unionism, pressure from the SWU has resulted in wage
increases and grievance remedies for Starbucks
workers. By avoiding governmental and bureaucratic
barriers to organizing, solidarity unions use direct
action against a corporation to make gains on the job.
Founded in 1905, the Industrial Workers of the World
is a grassroots union for all workers.
Comment by Nate — May 17, 2007 @ 7:40 pm
Every Starbucks store in the DC/Baltimore region received a bunch on anti-union propaganda on the international day of action. It was nice to see that Starbucks is taking this so seriously and, in spite of that, hasn’t been able to stop the campaign. As a collective entity I really think the IWW has learned a lot since the failed Borders campaign in the mid-90s.
Comment by Colin Bossen — May 19, 2007 @ 2:21 pm
Colin, do you have copies of any of that material? If so, can you send it do me? If not, please email me about who to talk to in order to get copies. And I’ll return your phone call soon, I’m just now recovered from the t40 and now it’s wedding anniversary time. Tonite we celebrate that very wonderful dinner with you at Standees and the 29th we celebrate the public ceremony.
xo,
Nate
ps - for others who haven’t seen this:
————PLEASE HELP: PREGNANT BARISTA FACING DISCRIMINATION AND IMMINENT
TERMINATION————
Sisters and Brothers:
Starbucks barista Christina Rosevear and her 19 month-old daughter need your help now. Christina recently learned that she was pregnant with her second child and she promptly informed the store manager at the Northern California Starbucks where she works. Instead of being considerate of Christina’s pregnancy, Starbucks began to discriminate against her.
Christina developed severe morning sickness and needed to take the occasional day off. On several occasions after she took a day off, she’d find that her work hours would be cut the following week depriving her of much needed income.
Sometimes she’d receive as little as four hours of work per week! As a single mom and a low-wage worker, Christina can’t afford such a dramatic pay cut. Things only got worse and now Christina is facing the prospect of an unjust termination.
Christina’s doctor ordered her to take time off work to deal with a pregnancy-related back ailment that may be connected to heavy lifting at Starbucks. When Christina was ready to come back to work, the store manager warned that he might fire her for being away from the job. Christina has a
meeting coming up with the manager and it’s critical that Starbucks hear from people of conscience now that discriminating against someone for a pregnancy or illness is wrong.
Instead of being brushed under the rug like so many retail workers are everyday, Christina has chosen to fight back and has joined the Starbucks Workers Union [StarbucksUnion.org]. In her own words, “I need some help because I refuse to let a big corporation like Starbucks push me around.”
Please lend a hand and stand by Christina as she fights this abuse from Starbucks: Take a moment to participate in this e-mail action demanding that Starbucks not fire Christina and immediately cease discriminating against her:
http://www.starbucksunion.org/node/1641.
Thank you for your solidarity and please contact Dean Dempsey of the Bay Area IWW to get further involved in the continuing defense effort at dean@iww.org.
StarbucksUnion.org
Comment by Nate — May 24, 2007 @ 5:50 pm