Community News
The Food Service Sector faces Union action, and Starbucks is at the forefront
BY STEVEN KASZAB
Starbucks workers at five stores voted to unionize in Richmond, Virginia, bringing the count of unionized Starbucks stores to 25 locations out of 27. Most of the union wins have been landslide victories; some of them were unanimous in favour of the union.
Despite Starbucks’ very best efforts to prevent the union drives at the coffee chain from spreading—bringing back former CEO Howard Schultz, firing union organizers, holding extensive captive audience meetings, the momentum of Starbucks stores filing for union elections isn’t showing any signs of slowing.
More than 200 stores nationwide have filed for union elections with Starbucks Workers United, and new stores are filing most days of the week. According to the most recent data available on the National Labour Relations Board’s website, 26 Starbucks stores across the United States filed for union elections between April 12th and 19th. New Starbucks union filings make up a shocking percentage of all new union filings in the United States. This grassroots progression is also finding roots in Canada, where CUPE and other union organizations have been reaching out to employee’s working in mass food service sectors.
The Pandemic has shown the malicious corporate treatment of its employees within many sectors of the economy. Throughout North America fulltime and part time employee’s experienced layoffs, call backs with forced overtime, or received limited hours maintaining the employee’s part time status, with no employee privileges given.
The union movement has been busy educating and recruiting membership within these sectors. Employees demanding representation with these corporations have experienced many methods of union breaking including legal action against unions and their membership.
A return to the anti-union movement of the 1920’s has developed within Corporate North America. Conservative and Republican Parties have fallen behind this corporate move, supporting anti-union actions, calling unionization a move towards job losses, and attacks on business growth.