Starbucks Workers At A Buffalo Store Vote To Form A Union In A First For The Coffee Chain

[Meister]

Look at how Starbucks tried to cheat.

Six of those challenged ballots were targeted by lawyers for the union, who argued that the workers who cast those votes were not employed at the store. Starbucks' lawyers disagreed, contending that they were eligible.

Starbucks workers in Buffalo vote to join union

Workers at a Starbucks store in Buffalo voted to join a union, making it the first company-owned store in the United States to organize.

buffalonews.com

The organizing campaign was closely watched nationally because of its implications elsewhere for Starbucks and potentially other fast-food chains, where worker turnover is high and pay is toward the bottom end of the pay scale.
"Every social justice movement has started from the ground up, from a handful of people who stepped forward to demand change," U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, said in a statement. "It took incredible courage for Western New York Starbucks workers to speak out, forge ahead with organizing amid enormous corporate pressures, and fight to be heard."

Who cares? It's just a fucking coffee shop. The unions just want to get union dues out of them.
If the store closes and everyone loses a job, or if there is layoffs, they don't care.

 

[JustAGuy1]

If a business can't pay a decent wage and turn a profit, it should go out of business.

And I don't think paying the employees more will raise prices that much. They already charge $5 for a coffee that costs them 20 cents to make and the line is around the building.

These business' aren't even willing to try. Rather than raise their prices, they'd rather close early and act like little bitches crying about how they can't find help. Pay $5 more an hour and see if you can't attract some people to come work for you.

If not, I guess your business will fail. Don't worry, most business' do.

You don't think at all. What happens when wages are raised?

 

[Polishprince]

This is very good news.

I hope more Starbucks stores become union.

MSN

Customers will save money as no one tips highly compensated staff. You can save your money for tips if you choose to go to a Scab coffee joint like Dunkin.

 

[Dana7360]

Unionizing a coffee shop is going to be an improvement for my overpriced Triple Macchiato? I don't think so. Make it cheaper? No. Help these poor oppressed part time coffee servers? Not much and not for long. There is only so much, I'll pay for a trendy cup of joe. Article was poorly written and did not say how these poor workers were being abused, that leading them to seeking a collective bargaining agreement.

Becoming union isn't about making your coffee better.

It's about making the business, working conditions and wages for the employee better.

I don't drink coffee. I never have. The smell of it makes me vomit.

I have always thought paying those prices for a cup of coffee was ridiculous but Starbucks seems to have been right. People will pay that.

I support any working person joining a union. Union workers helped to build this nation.

 

[Meister]

I support any working person joining a union. Union workers helped to build this nation.

So, you going to support Starbuck employees by starting to drink coffee from Starbucks
Probably it will end up a 6-7 dollar cup of Jo.

 

[Dana7360]

So, you going to support Starbuck employees by starting to drink coffee from Starbucks
Probably it will end up a 6-7 dollar cup of Jo.

If you read one of my posts you would know the answer to your stupid question.

 

[Meister]

If you read one of my posts you would know the answer to your stupid question.

Well then, you're not going to support them, that was my point.
At one time we needed unions....at one time.

 

[CowboyTed]

By the way Starbucks are increasing wages any way

Starbucks to raise average pay up to $17 an hour as it faces a labor shortage

Starbucks announced Wednesday it is hiking wages for U.S. employees as it facing twin pressures of a union challenge and a labor shortage.

eu.usatoday.com

I laugh at the right fear of unions... Unions can be a great addition to a company, Germany call them stakeholders in the business as they represent the employees and get seat on the board. They are invested in making the company better too..

 

[Polishprince]

This is only 2 Starbucks stores in Buffalo, in a chain with thousands of locations.

We'll see soon enough how great of a job the union coming in does, and how they build up sales. If the local unions all start patronizing these stores and the revenues increase, VIto and Guido will have a long time gig peddling this joe.

If the unions and the wise guys just try to squeeze SBUX, Starbucks will just close the store.

The idea is to have a partnership between Starbucks and the La Cosa Nostra.

 

[SmokeALib]

The entire Starbucks chain could close down tomorrow and I wouldn't care two shits. That being said, I have nothing against unions. After all, we still live in a free country, and that includes the freedom to bargain. There are some industries in this country that necessitate unions. Not all - but some greedy fucks still allow stockholder profits to reign over worker and public safety. I know - I'm a Teamsters member. I see it daily. But I don't see worker safety as a major grievance at Starbucks.

 

[Grumblenuts]

At one time we needed unions....at one time.

or another.. like now. And, like magic, suddenly they can afford to pay $15/hr. nationwide.

The wage hike comes as Starbucks fends off a unionization effort in New York. None of its corporate-owned shops in the U.S. are unionized. In August, Starbucks workers from three Buffalo, New York locations petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for a vote on whether to unionize.

The company is seeking to persuade the labor board to require that workers at all 20 Buffalo-area stores take part in the election instead of allowing stores to vote individually, the New York Times reported.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

Shops will close and there will be unemployed coffee pourers. But, they will
be unemployed ex-union members

If Starbucks paid fair wages then there would be no need for a union. They can pay more and competition will keep their prices cheap.

 

[White 6]

Becoming union isn't about making your coffee better.

It's about making the business, working conditions and wages for the employee better.

I don't drink coffee. I never have. The smell of it makes me vomit.

I have always thought paying those prices for a cup of coffee was ridiculous but Starbucks seems to have been right. People will pay that.

I support any working person joining a union. Union workers helped to build this nation.

If not interested in coffee and coffee shops, you picked the wrong topic to post. Really a shame about your reaction to coffee. I'm kind of a coffee whore, myself and will actually drink just about any if it's hot, black and extra sweet. Mess Sergeant ruin me, making it in a 5 gallon stewing pot, stirring it with a canoe paddle and sweetening with brown sugar, litterally whole cans of coffee and multiple bags of brown sugar. Served out of mermite into my canteen cup, I swear when you've been up 18 plus hours and the temp in the field never got above 18 degrees, that sh#t will raise the dead, before you head down the trail, to see what somebody has gotten themself into or what crazy crap they have done with your equipment and how long it's going to take to unfk the situation.
To the best of my knowledge, Starbuck baristas make decent for part time, minimal skill required work and Starbucks has some benefits even for part timers. The article said there were votes at 3 locations and only had one location approve it. My business experience with unions, leans toward that being a local management problem not a systemic systematic abuse of employees across a company. I've seen this before. Unions can start good or bad, for reasons real or trumped up, but tend to get worse over the years. At coffee shop barista level, it's not worth the dues.

 

[SmokeALib]

If Starbucks paid fair wages then there would be no need for a union. They can pay more and competition will keep their prices cheap.

Don't they already make 15/hr for making coffee?

 

[Mikeoxenormous]

This is very good news.

I hope more Starbucks stores become union.

MSN

I guess i wont ever visit that place again.

 

[Meister]

If Starbucks paid fair wages then there would be no need for a union. They can pay more and competition will keep their prices cheap.

What's a fair wage for pouring a cup of jo, Tommy?

Starbucks to raise average pay up to $17 an hour as it faces a labor shortage

Starbucks announced Wednesday it is hiking wages for U.S. employees as it facing twin pressures of a union challenge and a labor shortage.

www.usatoday.com

Now suck on it, dude. You don't have a fuckin' clue of what you're talking about......as usual

 

[initforme]

Without unions this nation doesn't exist. Employers should have a hard time finding employees.

 

[whitehall]

Starbucks freaking Buffalo? Is this the best of current events?

 

[Dana7360]

If not interested in coffee and coffee shops, you picked the wrong topic to post. Really a shame about your reaction to coffee. I'm kind of a coffee whore, myself and will actually drink just about any if it's hot, black and extra sweet. Mess Sergeant ruin me, making it in a 5 gallon stewing pot, stirring it with a canoe paddle and sweetening with brown sugar, litterally whole cans of coffee and multiple bags of brown sugar. Served out of mermite into my canteen cup, I swear when you've been up 18 plus hours and the temp in the field never got above 18 degrees, that sh#t will raise the dead, before you head down the trail, to see what somebody has gotten themself into or what crazy crap they have done with your equipment and how long it's going to take to unfk the situation.
To the best of my knowledge, Starbuck baristas make decent for part time, minimal skill required work and Starbucks has some benefits even for part timers. The article said there were votes at 3 locations and only had one location approve it. My business experience with unions, leans toward that being a local management problem not a systemic systematic abuse of employees across a company. I've seen this before. Unions can start good or bad, for reasons real or trumped up, but tend to get worse over the years. At coffee shop barista level, it's not worth the dues.

I have never liked coffee. The smell of it turned my stomach.

Chemo turned that into coffee makes me vomit.

While I could care less about coffee, I do care about the workers and unions.

Which this thread is about the coffee shop voting to start a union.

As for unions, yes, there are some that are useless.

There are many more that aren't useless.

Such as the one my ex was in from 1988 until he was promoted out of it in 2014.

That company has both union and non union contract employees.

The union employees got a much better deal from the company.

When I needed help for insurance problems, I went to the union. They resolved it in my favor every time and they did it quickly. I would have had to get lawyers without a union and ended up in legal hell for years.

The union made sure that we had what's now called "Cadillac" insurance though it used standard insurance for most everyone who worked.

The union had an agreement in the contract with the engineers that any patents for inventions by the employee that are licensed with product sold, the engineer gets half the profits. The company tried to screw my ex out of that. The union quickly put a stop to it. Without the union, we would have had to hire a lawyer and been stuck in legal hell for years.

On top of that, the unions at the company my ex works always works to prevent jobs from being outsourced. The machinist union went on strike a couple times over that. My ex was in the engineer's union, SPEEA.

I can go on and on with the benefits of unions.

We got much more out of the union than the measly dues we paid. I think the dues were like 20 bucks per pay period. Or somewhere around that. I don't remember the exact number.

 

[Claudette]

White 6
I agree. Hell my Large coffee free Frapacino used to cast $3.35.

Now its up to $5.67. No telling what I would pay if Starbucks went Union.

Unions were needed a long time ago. They sure aren't needed now.