Starbucks workers and union organizers will rally in Los Angeles on Thursday, July 27 as the “Union is Calling” bus rolls into the city to muster support for unionizing more stores.
With help from Starbucks Workers United, they’re also looking to bring management to the table to negotiate a contract for stores that have already joined the union.
The LA stopover – at a unionized Starbucks at 3241 N. Figueroa St. – is part of a 13-city bus tour.
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More than 8,500 employees at more than 330 stores across the U.S. have joined Starbucks Workers United. Workers claim they’ve faced intimidation and coercion from the Seattle-based coffee chain as they pursue the right to work in a “safe, secure and respectful workplace.”
They’re seeking a “living wage,” guaranteed hours and consistent scheduling, as well as fairness in the workplace, including a grievance procedure and protection from unjust discipline.
Representatives with Starbucks could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
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Veronica Gonzalez, a barista at the Figueroa Street location, said local baristas earn a starting wage of $17. She’d like to see that bumped to $20 and probably higher to keep pace with Southern California’s high housing costs.
“I live at home with my parents,” the 27-year-old LA resident said. “I couldn’t afford to rent by myself unless I had a roommate.”
An uphill battle
Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, a former California assemblymember now with the California Labor Federation, said Starbucks employees are fighting an uphill battle.
“In store after store, they’ve won a union and still Starbucks ignores the law and refuses to bargain,” Fletcher said in a statement. “It’s past time for Starbucks to do the right thing and negotiate with their unionized…
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