PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Starbucks Workers Go Union!
by Rebel Worker Tuesday, May. 18, 2004 at 5:50 AM

First in Nation, Starbucks Workers Form Union. Baristas Petition for Election

For Immediate Release:
May 17, 2004

First in Nation, Starbucks Workers Form Union
Baristas Petition for Election


New York, NY- Starbucks workers here have organized a
union with the Industrial Workers of the World IU/660
and have submitted union cards today to the NLRB for a
certification election. The workers are poised to
become the first Starbucks Baristas union certified in
the country. Starbucks Baristas at the 36th and
Madison location in Midtown Manhattan have come
together in an effort to raise themselves out of
poverty as well as to achieve respect and dignity on
the job. The workers are calling on Starbucks to obey
the law as the election approaches.

"Behind the green aprons and smiles are individuals
living in serious poverty," said Daniel Gross, a
worker at the store. "Baristas are the cornerstone of
a Starbucks coffee shop, we just deserve better.
Starbucks cashes in on a community friendly image but
it certainly doesn't extend to their workers or coffee
farmers. That's why we went Union."

Starbucks is a $15 billion company with over 7,500
locations around the world, but workers have most
emphatically not shared in their success. In New York
City with one of the highest costs of living in the
world, Starbucks workers start at $7.75 an hour and
eventually receive raises amounting to merely a few
cents. Starbucks has also developed a scheme whereby
all Baristas work on a part-time basis and are not
guaranteed any amount of hours per week thus making it
exceedingly difficult for workers to budget for
necessities like rent, utilities, and food.

"I come to work and I work hard," said Maureen
Medianero, 23, who has worked at Starbucks for almost
2 years. "But I'm still hanging on by a shoe string
not knowing if I can make ends meet to support my
daughter. It's frightening."

Although Starbuck workers serve an enormous volume of
beverages, many of them extremely hot, in order to
save money management refuses to schedule enough
workers to do the required work safely. Instead,
workers are forced to perform their duties at unsafe
speeds with an undue level of physical exertion.

"A Starbucks coffee shop is an ergonomic minefield.
The stores are supposed to mimic an Italian cafe
without considering the uncomfortable bending and
reaching we have to do," explained Barista Anthony
Polanco. "This isn't your mom and pop coffee shop,
we're talking McDonald's busy every day. Starbucks
talks about 'Creating Warmth' but the only warmth I
feel is the heat pad at the end of the day."

The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), founded in
1905, is a union dedicated to workplace democracy.
IWW IU/660 represents workers in the retail industry.

Industrial Workers of the World
Contact: Daniel Gross
(917)577-1110
dgross1959@yahoo.com

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