Students at UCLA and UC Riverside are demanding their schools cut ties with Starbucks until the coffee chain ends an alleged union-busting campaign against its baristas.
In a show of solidarity, the students plan to deliver petitions with more than 1,500 signatures to the two universities this week.
“The issues of Starbucks workers and the experiences that students face are intersectional, and we must be in solidarity,” said David Ramirez, a UCLA student, former Starbucks worker and member of UCLA Students Against Starbucks.
University representatives could not be reached for comment Monday, Jan. 29.
The move to organize has grown rapidly in recent years with workers at more than 385 Starbucks stores unionizing with Starbucks Workers United as they lobby for higher wages, increased staffing and consistent scheduling, despite heavy pushback from the coffee chain.
Also see: Starbucks ‘illegally’ closed 6 Los Angeles-area stores after union formation, feds says
Locally, that includes locations in Long Beach, Los Angeles, Anaheim and Huntington Beach.
The push for higher pay and better working conditions has resulted in the unionization of more than 9,500 Starbucks employees, according to the Starbucks Workers United website.
The UCLA petition, which will be delivered Tuesday, Jan. 30 to the board of directors for Associated Students UCLA, demand that the school divest from Starbucks and terminate its licensing agreement with the company.
The UC Riverside petition, to be delivered the following day to Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox and top decision-makers at the university, will likewise demand that the university not renew its contract with the coffee chain.
Speakers at both actions will highlight the employees’ bargaining demands and share stories about what unions mean to the next generation of workers, many of whom will be college students.
“When we graduate, we want to enter a workforce where workers have a real voice on the job with their…
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