AMERICAN LABOUR OMAHA:

SOLIDARITY WITH OMAHA STARBUCKS WORKERS:

The following appeal for solidarity with Starbucks wobbly workers in Omaha Nebraska comes from the site of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).

SWSWSWSWSW
Take Action to Defend IWW Baristas in Omaha!
Since Starbucks baristas at the 15th and Douglas store in Omaha announced their membership in the IWW one month ago, Starbucks has unleashed an aggressive union busting campaign on the workers with a particularly extreme effort to intimidate and threaten FW Tyler Swain.

In response to this, all members of the Omaha SWU have voted unanimously to send out an appeal for solidarity to the broader IWW and labor movement. Please show Starbucks that an injury to one is an injury to all by taking the following actions:

1. Call Partner Resources Representative Shari Rugi, (314)607-4180

Shari Rugi is coordinating a campaign of intimidation and harassment against union members at the 15th and Douglas Starbucks. This intimidation has included fabrication of sexual harassment allegations and interrogation of union members at the store over these accusations concocted by management. Furthermore, Shari Rugi as directed the store manager at 15th and Douglas, Missy Kemp, to tighten policy and increase disciplinary actions against workers, in particular against FW Tyler Swain. Rugi has forced Store Manager Missy Kemp to write up FW Tyler Swain twice since going public for alleged violations of policy, contriving allegations of insubordination, and illegally tightening the time and attendance policy. weeks after these alleged violations have occurred. Union members at the 15th and Douglas location have, on multiple occasions, overheard conversations taking place between the store manager, Missy Kemp, and the partner resource manager, Shari Rugi, in which she has insisted FW Swain be written up for these alleged infractions, regardless of the store managers opinion of the events.

It's time to let Shari Rugi know that we as an organization will not tolerate the unfair and discriminatory treatment of public union members, and that we, as a global organization are well aware of her actions.

2. Call District Manager Jennifer Rojas, (402)319-2760

The District Manager has repeatedly disrespected workers in her area.

Based upon this level of disrespect, the final demand in the letter presented to management, including the 15th and Douglas store manager Missy Kemp, district manager Jennifer Rojas, and Regional Director of Operations Brett Battes, was a request that Jennifer Rojas resign from her position. A month after the delivery no mention of this demand has been made, despite targeted attempts to separate public union members from the company. It's time to let Jennifer Rojas know that her disrespect to workers in her area does not go unnoticed, and that she needs to be working for noticeable improvements in the working environment she oversees or resign immediately. Specific demands are:

•the immediate back pay of wages owed to FW Samantha Cole which were promised to her the morning of August 6th in a phone conversation that took place between Jennifer Rojas and Samantha Cole,
•an open and cooperative dialogue between levels of management and the Starbucks Workers Union,
•an open environment for members of the union to organize without fear of retaliation,
•and an increased effort to put into place the district wide 20 percent wage increase that the union is fighting for.
3. Send Letters of Support to the 15th and Douglas Store

We humbly request all union members to send letters directly to the 15th and Douglas store (222 S. 15th St. Omaha Ne. 68102) addressed specifically to The Barista's of the Starbucks Workers Union, as well as a separate letter, jointly addressed to both our Store Manager, Missy Kemp, and our District Manager, Jennifer Rojas. These letters should express support for the public campaign as well as public members in the store, as we fight for improved working conditions that include more reliable scheduling, a safer work environment and better compensation. It would also be appreciated if some attention would be given to our rights to organize as workers, and an immediate stop to all intimidation to public union members on the job.

Thank you for your support and solidarity. Together we will win!

in solidarity,
The Baristas of the Omaha SWU.

Related Links
•IWW Starbucks Workers Union

AMERICAN LABOUR NEBRASKA:

BARISTAS SHUT DOWN OMAHA OUTLET:

The following news item is from the IWW Starbucks Union, organizing here there and everywhere for a fair deal for baristas at the Starbucks chain.

IWWIWWIWW

Squeezed Baristas Shut Down 15th and Douglas Starbucks to Protest Cutbacks
For Immediate Release:
Starbucks Workers Union/Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)

Contact: Tyler Swain, 402-320-2002

August 5, 2010

Squeezed Baristas Shut Down 15th and Douglas Starbucks to Protest Cutbacks

Workers Demand Reversal of Recession Labor Cuts as Starbucks Returns to Profitability

Press Conference: 4:30 August 5, 15th and Douglas, W. Entrance to Omaha Public Library

Omaha, NE- Baristas and community supporters shut down the 15th and Douglas Starbucks (SBUX) this morning demanding that management reverse all cuts to healthcare, staffing, and benefits that have been imposed during the recession. The baristas claim that executives have no justification to squeeze working families with Starbucks raking in profits of $977.2 million in the past four fiscal quarters.

“We are being squeezed, and we can't take it any more. Since the recession began, Starbucks executives have ruthlessly gutted our standard of living. They doubled the cost of our health insurance, reduced staffing levels, cut our hours, all while demanding more work from us. Starbucks is now more than profitable again. It's time for management to give back what they took from us,” said Sasha McCoy, a shift supervisor at the store.

Since the onset of the recession, Starbucks imposed a series of deep cuts on its workforce. Starting in 2008 as the economic downturn began, the coffee giant shuttered over 800 stores and slashed over 18000 jobs. The remaining skeleton crew workforce was stretched out, forced to push VIA and other promotional products while keeping the stores running with insufficient staffing levels. CEO Howard Schultz then doubled the cost of the company health insurance plan in September 2009, leaving many workers unable to afford medical treatment because of sky-high deductibles and premiums. While the cuts continue, Starbucks made a record profit of $207.9 million in the last quarter according to company figures.

The protesting baristas are members of the Starbucks Workers Union, which is an international campaign of the Industrial Workers of the World labor union. The store action makes the 15th and Douglas location the first Starbucks in Nebraska to have a public union presence. The workers decided to move to unionize after watching their standard of living be whittled away while top executives chose to reward investors with dividends.

Samantha Cole, a Barista at the store said, “I work hard for every dollar I make in order to put food on the table for my family; Starbucks rewards workers with a poverty wage while they give their Wall Street pals dividends. I'm not doing this for myself so much as for the next generation that will grow up in this country. These are the only jobs that are left here- we need to make sure they are good jobs for working families.”

While portraying itself as a ‘socially-responsible’ employer, Starbucks pays Nebraska baristas a poverty wage of $7.35/hr. In addition, all retail hourly workers at Starbucks in the United States are part-time employees with no guaranteed number of work hours per week. According to Starbucks figures released to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 40.9% of its employees (including managers) are covered by the company health care package, a lower percentage than the oft-criticized Wal-Mart, which insures 47% of its workforce.

Since the launch of the IWW campaign at Starbucks on May 17, 2004, the company has been cited multiple times for illegal union-busting by the National Labor Relations Board. The company settled numerous complaints against it and was recently found guilty by a judge in New York on more than 30 additional rights’ violations. Starbucks’ large anti-union operation is operated in conjunction with the Akin Gump law firm and the Edelman public relations firm.

The IWW Starbucks Workers Union is a grassroots organization of over 300 current and former employees at the world's largest coffee chain united for secure work hours and a living wage. The union has members throughout the United States and Canada fighting for systemic change at the company and remedying individual grievances with management.

Union baristas, bussers, and shift supervisors have fought successfully toward improved scheduling and staffing levels, increased wages, and workplace safety. Workers who join the union have immediate access to co-workers and members of the community who will struggle with them for a better life on the job.

###

http://www.facebook.com/l/a781akQD1JUteiOx1cBsGLffhLA;www.StarbucksUnion.org

LOCAL EVENTS- WINNIPEG

STARBUCKS UNION SPEAKER:

Coming up next Saturday May 8 a representative of the IWW's Starbucks Union will be speaking at the downtown library. The Starbucks Union has been fighting for years to unionize the workers on whose backs the trendy Starbucks chain is built. Come out and hear all about it. Here's the details.

SUSUSUSUSUSUSUSU
Starbucks Workers Union Speaking Tour
Type: Informational Meeting
Date: Saturday, May 8, 2010
Time: 2:30pm - 4:30pm
Location: 2nd Floor Millenium Library (Anhang Room) - 251 Donald Street, Winnipeg MB

Description.

Come out and learn more about the experiences of Starbucks workers across North America who are organizing unions in their workplaces. Erik Forman of the Twin Cities General Membership Branch of the Industrial Workers of the World and Starbucks Workers Union will be speaking.
This public event is FREE but donations towards the SWU are greatly appreciated.

AMERICAN LABOUR:

DRIVING FOR THE UNION:

The following item is from the website of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). For years now the IWW has been organizing workers in the Starbucks chain of coffee shops, often with great success. here's the story of a recent organizing tour in the American Midwest. The spirit of the union is alive.

IWWIWWIWWIWW

Back to the Grind: SWU Southern Midwest Tour a Success

On March 19, a delegation of IWW Starbucks baristas from the Twin Cities crammed themselves into one worker's 3-cylinder Geo Metro and set off on a journey to bring the good word of solidarity unionism to baristas and workers across the lower midwest. Four days later, we returned to the Twin Cities after covering over 1,700 miles, talking to dozens of Starbucks workers about the union, and speaking to enthusiastic audiences in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Iowa City about our efforts to win decent wages, consistent scheduling, and other basic demands through workplace organizing at the world's largest coffee chain.

Our first stop was KKFI, a community radio station in Kansas City, where the Heartland Labor Forum radio show was kind enough to interview us about our organizing experiences on their show. We then made our way to the Westport Coffee House, where we held a discussion with interested community members about the issues at Starbucks, and the possibility of building a new labor movement from the ground up. We discovered that, just as in every other American city, the Kansas City working class is under attack. The Kansas City School Board recently decided to close an enormous number of schools and lay off many teachers, unionized in the American Federation of Teachers. We extend our solidarity to them and hope that workers and students can unite in defense of quality public education.

The next day, we hit the road for St. Louis, site of the first general strike in US history in 1877, as well as a giant arch, and the worker-owned and democratically-operated Black Bear Bakery. The Autonomy Alliance and local IWW members sponsored a public event at the bakery, providing us with an opportunity to share the story of our union campaign with local labor activists and workers.

After a brief night's sleep, we were off across the cornfields of Iowa, heading to Iowa City to speak at an event organized by IWW members and the Wild Rose Collective. We met many workers at the event, some with decades of experience in the struggle, others just starting out, and and discussed the possibility of stronger regional support for workplace organizing across the midwest.

Thanks to the generosity of our hosts and audience members in the cities we visited, we were able to cover almost all of our gas costs and always had a place to stay in each town we visited. Working class solidarity is alive and well in the Midwest. Because of this, even a grassroots organization of low-wage retail workers like the IWW Starbucks Workers Union can pose a threat to one of the largest corporations in the world. We find inspiration in this fact, especially after seeing first hand the devastation that the capitalist class has wrought on cities across our region in the last 30 years of deindustrialization, plus the last two years of recession.

We plan to continue visiting workers in other cities across the midwest in the coming months, hopefully laying part of the foundation of a new working class movement for control over our lives and communities across the region.

Related Links
•IWW Starbucks Workers Union
•Twin Cities GMB

AMERICAN LABOUR:

JUSTICE FOR AZMERA:

The following story and appeal is from the website of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) to which the Starbucks Union is affiliated.

ALALALALALALAL
Call-In: Demand Justice for Unfairly Targeted Immigrant Worker at Starbucks!:

Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that Aizze was the best barista at the Snelling & Selby Starbucks in St. Paul, MN. She knew every regular's drink and could make a latte in 28 seconds. She has 20 MUG awards for her job performance, and was never written up in her two years of service, nor was her till ever ‘over’ or ‘short.’ Her coworkers and customers loved her; they called her 'Aizze' (pronounced 'Ozzie'), short for Azmera. This description is in the past tense because Starbucks wrongfully fired Aizze on July 8, 2009. Starbucks management accused her of theft, although they themselves ADMIT that they have no video or other evidence to support their accusation.

Adding insult to injury, Saint Paul District Manager Claire Gallagher took advantage of Aizze’s limited English abilities and bullied and manipulated her into signing a promissory note saying she would pay Starbucks the arbitrarily- determined amount of $1200. Acting through the notoriously anti-worker law firm Olonoff, Asen & Serebro,. LLP, Starbucks has since sent Aizze a letter threatening to send their baseless claim to a collections agency.

Azmera is not a thief. An immigrant from Ethiopia, Azmera has been a citizen of the U.S. for the past ten years. She has worked at Starbucks for the past two years. Together with her husband, a Taxi driver, Azmera is the proud mother of three young children. Aizze is an honest, deeply religious woman who loves her job and works hard to care for her family.

How did this happen?
On July 8, 2009, Aizze was told to sit in the back room at the end of her shift, alone with St. Paul District Manager Claire Gallagher. For almost two hours, she was not allowed to leave, and no other workers were allowed to enter. The DM made a conference call with “Partner & Asset Protection” Manager Chris Vanderhoof and together they began to interrogate Aizze. When Aizze informed her interrogators that she did not understand what they were saying, they just repeated the same words over and over. Aizze was not offered an interpreter. She was told that if she didn't sign the promissory note, they would call the police and have her arrested. Thinking of her children, she signed the paper. Her interrogators told her flatly that they had no proof or video of her stealing money, yet they accused her of theft. Aizze never stole. If there was change someone didn’t want from a transaction, Aizze put it in the tip jar, but she never, ever stole.

Why Aizze?
We can only speculate on why Aizze was targeted, but one thing is clear: Starbucks thinks they can get away with victimizing her because she is an immigrant and a non-native English speaker.

What You Can Do To Help
We all have a responsibility to stand up for the most vulnerable amongst us. We will not sit idly by while Starbucks management victimizes one who has come to this country seeking a better life. We demand immediate reinstatement, the immediate nullification of the promissory note, and an apology to Aizze. Justice must be done for Aizze and all workers.

DEMAND JUSTICE,

Call:
Regional Vice President SUMI GOSH at 312-342-8701
Regional Director DIMITRI HATZIGEORGIOU at 312-731-8909
St. Paul District Manager CLAIRE GALLAGHER at 651-260-5079

ALALALALALALAL

And here's the latest update on this case.

ALALALALALALAL
Update on Justice for Starbucks Worker Aizze:

Hello Fellow Workers, Customers and Friends of Aizze!

Thank you so much for your support for Azmera. By signing the petition, calling-in to Starbucks management, and coming out for a hugely successful picket of the Snelling & Selby store last Saturday, we have sent a strong message to Starbucks that Aizze is not alone and that we will not stand for discrimination. The picket was covered by several media outlets, including the Star Tribune <http://www.startribune.com/local/53307332.html> and Pioneer Press <http://www.twincities.com/life/ci_13132224>. According to workers at Snelling & Selby, sales dropped by over 50% during the hour and a half that we picketed the store.

After the picket, Aizze had a brief phone conversation with Becky Critch, Starbucks Human Resources Manager. We had hoped that Starbucks would present an offer, but instead, Critch attempted to dominate the conversation, asking probing questions about Aizze's work history.
Critch refused to allow Aizze to answer questions in writing. After the traumatic experience of her interrogation in the back room of the store, it is highly insulting for management to expect Aizze to submit to further oral questioning.

With no offer from Starbucks on the table, it's time to increase the pressure.
What's Next?
1. Please continue to call Starbucks Area Director DIMITRI HATZIGEORGIOU at 312-731-8909 to tell him you support Aizze's demands.
2. We have invited fellow workers, customers and community members to come and meet Aizze on SUNDAY, AUGUST 30 at 1PM at Coffee con Amore, 917 Grand Avenue, Saint Paul. This will be an opportunity to hear from Aizze, discuss the next steps in the campaign, and learn more about the Starbucks Workers Union. Join us!
3. During this tough time for Aizze and her family, you may consider making a donation to help Aizze while she is unemployed. A customer of Aizze's established a fund through PayPal for supporters to make donation directly to Aizze. You can donate at http://tcsbuxunion.com

Again, thank you all so much for your support and solidarity with us in this struggle.
-The Justice for Aizze Team
Contact info.:
Anja Witek: ahwitek [at] gmail.com, (651) 587-9593
justiceforaizze [at] gmail.com

AMERICAN LABOUR:

JUST DON'T GET SICK WHILE WORKING FOR STARBUCKS:

It can often be hard for those of us who live in the civilized world (ie industrially developed countries and many who are not so developed) to comprehend the situation surrounding health care in the USA. Despite spending more per capita on health services than any other country in the world the outcomes,as measured by such things as life span, infant mortality rates, maternal mortality,etc.,etc.,etc. are far behind many other countries in the world. One of the problems in the USA is that health care is covered by a patchwork of insurance plans with a minimal participation on the part of government in a few aspects. The result has been extreme cost overruns for numerous reasons. One reason is that the patchwork of insurance companies has led to the growth of numerous bureaucracies, all of whom have to take their cut, that provide living proof that "private" managers are at least as bloodthirsty as public ones. The other is that the proportion of the population who are covered under public plans are covered by a number of different agencies which also increases the costs of bureaucracy. Finally, and perhaps this is inherent in American culture, those who do have the means-and the legal clout to make insurance companies compliant- demand stupendously aggressive medical interventions of dubious social, or even individual, value. Everybody goes along with this. Insurance companies are reluctant to challenge those who have easy access to lawyers. The medical industry will rapidly rush to fulfill whatever demand, with great financial rewards, that such people generate.

Meanwhile a large proportion of the American population is not covered at all by health plans. Those who are are subjected to continued uncertainty as most are covered by employer provided plans that depend upon a)the financial stability of the employer and b)the willingness of the employer to play by the terms of the social contract and not attempt to cut the coverage back at any convenient opportunity. The following from the website of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) tells of one such instance. This is the case of the Starbucks corporation who are attempting to cut the health benefits, such as they are, of their employees. They are opposed by the IWW affiliated Starbucks Union, recently in the news here in Canada for having organized and gained bargaining rights at a Starbucks outlet in Québec City. Here's the story from the point of view of the Starbucks Union.

ALALALALALALAL
IWW Starbucks Union Condemns Starbucks Doubling Health Insurance Costs:
For Immediate Release:

IWW Starbucks Workers Union

Media Contacts:

Aaron Kocher - 612-220-6454

Liberte Locke - 917-693-7742

July 28, 2009

IWW Starbucks Union Condemns Starbucks Doubling Health Insurance Costs Health Coverage Cuts Come Amidst Soaring Profits

Starbucks, amid massive profits, announced on Monday that it will slash at employee health care benefits. The company announced that premiums for its most economical employee health care package will nearly double, along with across the board increases in out-of-pocket expenses. This slap in the face to workers comes just one week after the announcement of $256 million in profits for the quarter, far exceeding internal and Wall Street expectations.

These cuts are an insult to Starbucks workers, and the thousands of workers who have been laid off in the last year. The increased costs of health benefits will be a barrier to many workers thinking of enrolling, forcing them to make the hard decision between health care coverage and feeding their families.

We expect more from Starbucks as a leading Fortune 500 company that builds its brand image on its treatment of its "partners", what it calls employees. Starbucks has a responsibility to provide affordable, quality healthcare to its workers, who are responsible for its enormous profits. Instead, Starbucks continues to use health care benefits as a marketing tool, while actually covering a lower percentage of its workforce than the notoriously unethical Wal-Mart.

Starbucks has repeatedly shown that it cannot be trusted to compensate us fairly. We believe as workers we must organize together to hold Starbucks accountable, and give us the respect and dignity we deserve.

About the IWW Starbucks Workers Union:

The IWW Starbucks Workers Union is an organization of over 300 current and former employees at the world's largest coffee chain united for secure work hours, a living wage, and respect on the job. The union has members throughout the United States and Canada, fighting for positive change at the company and defending baristas treated unfairly by management.

CANADIAN LABOUR/INTERNATIONAL LABOUR:

CAN STARBUCKS BE UNIONIZED?:

Since the recent certification of the Starbucks Union, a branch of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), as the official union for one Starbucks outlet in Québec City it appears that the coffee giant is not as invulnerable as was once thought. Previous attempts, on the part of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) in British Columbia failed back in the 1990s. As far as Molly can determine there is only one other unionized Starbucks in the world. This lone example is in Regina, Saskatchewan where the workers are represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union- Saskatchewan(RWDSU). This particular RWDSU has no connection with the RWDSU International with whom it split back in the 1970s. Since that time the RWDSU has gained a reputation as one of the most progressive and militant unions in North America. In the past they have used workplace occupations as part of their strike tactics.

Both the RWDSU and the IWW ,which has spearheaded recent drives to unionize Starbucks, are small unions. The RWDSU has the advantage of geographical concentration over the dispersed IWW, and it is more effective for that. The major unions and union federations won't touch Starbucks, or any related workplace such as fast food joints, unionization with a ten foot pole. In the days when the CAW attempted their drive in BC they were a much different union then they are today. Having split from the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) they were willing to take on every possible organizational effort in what was a quest to become a multiindustry alternative to the CLC. They are a much quieter beast today, and it would be hard to imagine them attempting organization in such places as Starbucks at the present time.

Which leads us to the most recent question in Molly's Polls; "Is It Possible to Unionize Places Such as Starbucks?". See our sister site to register your opinion. There are immense difficulties that any union that attempts to organize in places such as Starbucks have to overcome. This is even more so in fast food joints such as McDonalds. If there are only two unionized Starbucks in the world that is still 200% better than the zero McDonalds that are organized. Molly is agnostic about the prospects insofar as I think that such organization is possible , but only in certain locations where both the laws and the local culture are such as to facilitate such efforts.

Québec today has a long standing tradition of militant unionism far greater than almost anywhere else on the continent. In Saskatchewan unions such as the RWWDSU thrive in the lengthening shadows of what was once the most left wing community on the continent. Saskatchewan socialism has, today, been corrupted beyond all recognition, but the populist tradition still lingers. Should young workers there be privileged to have known their grandparents or grand uncles/grand aunts about 50% of them would have had a family member who was a convinced socialist, one not shy of stating their views. Presented with the option of unionization- with a radical rhetoric thrown in- the old "lefty genes" have a tendency to reactivate. Perhaps many parts of Newfoundland, Minnesota and Wisconsin are the same.

One thing that I do think is that such vague radicalism is insufficient for unionization to take a general hold outside of isolated branches of such enterprises as Starbucks. In order for the efforts to expand beyond isolated instances a community as well as a workplace mobilization has to occur. The example of a large proportion of the population of a city, even one so small as Québec City (or even Regina-much smaller), organizing a boycott of recalcitrant companies would bring the bosses to heel much faster than simple organization of workplaces, one by one, could do. Such a campaign would also reverberate worldwide and make unionization much easier in other locations.

Am I too pessimistic in my assessment that unionization in places such as Starbucks will proceed very slowly in the foreseeable future ? Time will tell. In the meantime visit Molly's Polls to express your own opinion. I hope to comment more on this matter over there.

LE SYNDICALISME CANADIEN/CANADIAN LABOUR:

STARBUCKS SYNDIQUÉS AU QUÉBEC/STARBUCKS UNIONIZED IN QUÉBEC:

Un grand merci à 'PhattMatt' de la 'Insurrectionary People's Picture Show Theater' blog pour les infos sur l'histoire siuvante.

A big thanks to 'PhattMatt' of the 'Insurrectionary People's Picture Show Theater' blog for the info on the following story.

Les travailleurs à un point de vente Starbucks au Québec ont fait une percée en organisant avec les 'Syndicat Starbucks' , une branche de le syndicalist 'Industrial Workers of the World' (IWW). L'IWW est prêt à prendre cette lutte, alors que d'autres syndicats, plus traditionnelles, éludé la tâche.

The workers at a Starbucks outlet in Québec City have made a breakthrough by organizing with the Starbucks Union, a branch of the syndicalist Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). The IWW was willing to take this struggle on while other, more traditional, unions dodged the task.

L'histoire de Le Soleil. The story from Le Soleil.
CLCLCLCLCLCLCL

Syndicalisation des employés de Starbucks: Québec part le bal
Frédéric Denoncourt

Le Soleil
(Québec) Après un mois de démarches, les employés du café Starbucks du 1200, avenue de Germain-des-Prés ont déposé lundi matin leur demande d'accréditation syndicale auprès de la Commission des relations de travail.

La Commission devrait mener une courte enquête au cours des prochains jours pour s'assurer que les employés du café ont signé leur carte du syndicat en l'absence de toute contrainte et qu'ils ont acquitté leur droit d'adhésion.

Par la suite, la syndicalisation sera en vigueur, a confié au Soleil Simon Gosselin, un employé du café, à la tête du mouvement de syndicalisation.

«Dès que ce sera fait, le Syndicat des travailleurs et travailleuses de Starbucks sera autorisé et nous pourrons négocier une convention collective avec l'employeur.»

Il s'agira du premier café Starbucks syndiqué au Québec.

«Il y a environ un mois que le projet est sur la table. L'enjeu majeur était que l'employeur voulait nous obliger à travailler un minimum de 24 heures chaque semaine, sinon nous aurions été rétrogradés, avec perte de salaire. On aurait même pu perdre notre emploi. Or, nous sommes tous des étudiants et c'était impossible pour nous de travailler un minimum de 24 heures par semaine avec nos cours», continue Simon Gosselin.

L'obligation imposée par l'employeur de demeurer sur les lieux de travail durant les pauses café non payées était un autre irritant qui a incité les employés à se syndiquer. «Le fait d'être syndiqués nous permettra de négocier de façon solidaire avec l'employeur au lieu de n'être que des individus dont le seul recours était de démissionner en cas de désaccord», poursuit Simon Gosselin.

La question salariale ne serait pas au coeur de la démarche des employés de Starbucks. «On verra en temps et lieu car on est moins bien payés que chez McDonald's.»

«On s'attend à une réponse de la part de l'employeur, peut-être à des représailles. Mais à l'heure actuelle on a tous payé nos cotisations et on est tous syndiqués.»

Étant donné les faibles salaires des travailleurs, la Confédération des syndicats nationaux et la Fédération des travailleurs du Québec auraient refusé d'intégrer le nouveau syndicat, qui s'est finalement tourné vers l'Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).

Le Soleil a tenté en vain d'obtenir les réactions de la partie patronale. Celle-ci nous a renvoyés au siège social de Starbucks, à Seattle, où nous avons abouti dans une boîte vocale.
Rejetés par la CSN et la FTQ
Quand les employés du café Starbucks ont communiqué avec Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), ils ont rapidement obtenu un accueil favorable.

«Nous ne refusons personne. Notre principe est d'être un grand syndicat où tous peuvent être membres», a laissé entendre Andrew Fletcher, délégué chez IWW qui a soutenu la démarche des employés du café.

«L'expérience que l'on a acquise aux États-Unis, on va l'emmener au Québec. La semaine prochaine, un délégué américain de l'IWW viendra rencontrer les travailleurs. Chez Starbucks il y a beaucoup de roulement et les employés ne sont pas très bien payés. Nous pourrons leur offrir notre expertise sur des questions légales.»

Selon M. Fletcher, si la FTQ et la CSN ont refusé de prendre sous leur aile les employés du Starbucks de Germain-des-Prés, c'est qu'elles ont fait le calcul que cela ne leur rapporterait rien.

«Ces grandes centrales regardent le nombre de travailleurs à syndiquer et combien leur rapporteraient leurs cotisations par rapport à ce que ces travailleurs leur coûteraient. La grande différence, c'est que nous faisons tout ce travail bénévolement. Nous n'avons donc pas à faire ces calculs.

«Ce qui est intéressant pour nous, c'est que l'on vient de prendre racine ici. Nous pourrons à l'avenir essayer de syndiquer d'autres entreprises du même genre», conclut M. Fletcher.

CLCLCLCLCLCLCL

And the story in English.

CLCLCLCLCLCLCL
Unionization of Starbucks employees: Québec Runs With the Ball:

Frédéric Denoncourt

The Sun (Quebec)

After a month of efforts, the employees of Starbucks Coffee at 1200, avenue de Germain-des-Prés filed their application on Monday morning for union certification with the Commission des relations de travail.

The Commission is obliged to conduct a short inquiry in the coming days to ensure that employees of the cafe signed their union cards without any coercion and that they have paid their membership fees.

Thereafter, unionization is in effect, Simon Gosselin, a coffeshop employee at the forefron of the unionization movement told the Sun.

"Once this is done, the Starbucks Workers Union will be authorized and we can negotiate a collective agreement with the employer."

This will be the first unionized Starbucks in Quebec.

"It has been about a month that the project has been on the table. The major challenge was that the employer wanted us to work a minimum of 24 hours each week, otherwise we would have been demoted, with loss of pay. We might even have lost our jobs. But we are all students and it was impossible for us to work a minimum of 24 hours per week with our classes, "continues Simon Gosselin.

The obligation imposed by the employer to remain at work during the unpaid coffee breaks was another irritant that prompted employees to unionize. "Being a union will enable us to negotiate together with the employer instead of being individuals whose only recourse was to resign in case of disagreement," says Simon Gosselin.

The salary issue is not central to the approach of Starbucks employees. "We will come to it in due course because it is less well paid than at McDonald's."

"We expected a response from the employer, perhaps in retaliation. But now we all paid our dues and we are all unionized. "

Given the low wages of the workers, the Confederation of National Trade Unions and the Federation des travailleurs du Quebec refused to sign up the new union, which ultimately turned to the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).

The Sun tried in vain to obtain feedback from the employer. It has routed us to Starbucks headquarters in Seattle, where we ended up in a voice mailbox.

Rejected by the CSN and the FTQ

When Starbucks employees contacted Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), they quickly earned a favorable reception.

"We do not reject anyone. Our principle is to be one big union where all can be members , "suggested Andrew Fletcher, an IWW delegate who supported the approach of the coffeeshop staff .

"The experience we gained in the United States, we will take it to Quebec. Next week, a delegate of the American IWW will meet with workers. At Starbucks there is a lot of turnover and employees are not very well paid. We can offer our expertise on legal issues. "

According to Mr. Fletcher, if the FTQ and the CSN have refused to take the Starbucks employees of Germain-des-Prés under their wing , is because they have made the calculation that it would bring them nothing.

"The big centrals look at the number of workers to organize and how much the workers would contribute as compared to how the workers would cost them. The big difference is that we do all this work voluntarily. We do not have to make these calculations.

"What is interesting for us is that we are coming to take root here. We may in future try to organize other companies of the same kind, "says Fletcher.

CLCLCLCLCLCLCL

Il y a un groupe IWW à Montréal et ce soir ils mettrons un piquet de solidarité avec les travailleurs de Starbucks.

CLCLCLCLCLCLCL

Piquetage de solidarité contre Starbucks:
Suite au dépôt d’une demande en accréditation syndicale pour un Starbucks à Québec, nous vous convions à un piquetage de solidarité pour les travailleurs du Starbucks, qui aura lieu mardi le 14 juillet, à 19h00, devant le Starbucks du 1709 Rue St. Denis, coin Ontario.

À Québec, une conférence de presse aura lieu mardi le 14 juillet, à 11h00, au 1200 Av de Germain des Pres, dans l’arrondissement Sainte-Foy.

CLCLCLCLCLCLCL

There is an IWW group in Montréal, and this evening they will hold a picket in solidarity with the Starbucks workers.

CLCLCLCLCLCLCL
Solidarity Picket Against Starbucks:

Following the filing of an application for union certification in Quebec Starbucks, we invite you to a picket of solidarity with Starbucks workers, to be held on Tuesday 14 July at 19h00, in front of the Starbucks of 1709 Rue St. Denis , corner of Ontario.

In Québec, a press conference will be held Tuesday July 14 at 11.00, at 1200 Avenue Germain des Pres, in the borough of Sainte-Foy.

INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-POLAND:

STARBUCKS PICKETS BY POLISH SYNDICALISTS:

The following from the A-Infos website puzzled Molly when she went on her usual attribution search (something usually-and especially in one case, almost as a matter of policy- ignored by anarchist websites). The action was apparently undertaken by the AIT associated Union of Syndicalists. For more English language reports of anti-Starbucks actions in Poland see the English language blog of the non-AIT Workers' Initiative-Warsaw. The report is from an independent anarchist news website in Wroclaw Poland, the Wroclawska Sekcji Alternatiwna. I was, however, unable to find any English language material on this subject there. The AIT-associated Polish anarchosyndicalist organization is the Union of Syndicalists. The non-AIT site of the Workers' Initiative also reports ant-Starbucks action. For what it is worth I am willing to venture the opinion that Poland is the only country in the world where, when there are AIT and non-AIT unions present, that the AIT one is more active, larger and more dynamic. I may be wrong. I don't make a pretense of being able to read Polish. The general Polish anarchist news site referred to below is the Centrum Informacji Anarchistcznej. All told very confusing. What I am not confused about is the IWW's Starbucks Union, that has been organizing for some years now.

@@@@@@@@@@

Poland, Starbucks Pickets organized by ZSP*:

Today there were two pickets at Starbucks Coffee in Poland - one in Warsaw and one in Wroclaw, the two cities where Starbucks opened their first cafes in Poland last month. May 17 is the 5th anniversary of the founding of the Starbucks workers union, which we spoke about at the pickets.

---- The pickets were organized by ZSP* as solidarity campaigns but also to raise awareness about working conditions in the cafe/restaurant industry and to encourage workers to organize. ---- Some photos of the picket in Wroclaw can be found here: http://www.wsa.org.pl/module.php?op=galery&cmd=366

---- Texts of the Wroclaw leaflet (in Polish) are here http://cia.bzzz.net/wroclaw_pikieta_powitalna_pod_kawiarnia_starbucks Two weeks ago a picket was held in Warsaw, as well as today.

Today's picket also included information about what is going on along "Nowy Swiat" (New World) Street in Warsaw where Starbucks is located. Almost all of the well-known cafes along the street have closed down due to astronomical rents, leaving room only for corporate chains, ultra-exclusive places and money laundering fronts. We just found out that the last of the famous cafes on the street. Cafe Bajka which has been there for 53 years and was the last place on the street where you could get a cheap drink and a meal, is being forced to close since their rent was raised to an astronomical 20,000 zloties a month. (It's a small place, so it's really amazingly high rent.) We could see on the street that other cafes and small shops have closed up and in their place we will have Subway and Haagen Daaz. The price of coffee in Starbucks is similar to in the US, despite the fact that average wages are many times higher. This makes brands like these clearly brands for yuppies (and tourists) who are in the elite. Seeing what is going on with the rapid influx of corporate chain stores along New World St., we renamed it "Brave New World" St.

We have also noticed that Starbucks in Poland has started an extensive greenwashing campaign, which an average consumer might misunderstand and believe the prices are high because they are buying fair trade coffee. Only about 5% of Starbucks coffee is fair trade but they are presenting themselves as the most "ethical" coffee in town

.=============

* An antiauthoritarian anticapitalist syndicate(A Molly sidenote- I really wish that people wouldn't use this rhetoric, ie "antiauthoritarian anticapitalist" to describe themselves. I've seen this two word modifier stuck in front of many nouns such as "initiative", "network" and "project", amongst others in the past few years, and it continues to grate on my nerves. To me it looks like it is usually a "weasel word", used to avoid the use of the dreaded word "anarchist". If it is not such an euphemism then it may even worse. It may refer to a mindset of "fashionable leftism" that has absorbed enough anti this that and the other thing to qualify as a separate political ideology, a closed in group ideology of fashion. If people really do want a modifier then the adjective "libertarian", as in "libertarian socialism" is more than sufficient in any country in the world outside of the USA where "libertarian" has another unfortunate meaning. I have a sneaking suspicion, though I cannot prove it, that this clumsy two word adjective "antiauthoritarian anticapitalist" is of Canadian origin, and that it was coined basically to avoid matters of "consistency" that would be raised if one used the word "anarchist". If this is true then it would be one more example of our "colonial mentality" in that we have to coin a term for politics that have been borrowed from the USA where we Canadians can recognize the difference from anarchism per se and think we have to rename it. (But this, of course, is an entirely different subject from the news above. Sorry for the diversion)

AMERICAN LABOUR:

IWW LAUNCHES LEGAL ACTION AGAINST STARBUCKS:

The following article is from the website of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

IWW Member Laid Off By Starbucks After Confronting CEO And Blogging About It - IWW Immediately Hits Starbucks With Legal Action:
Chicago, IL (03-19-2009)- The Starbucks Coffee Co. informed outspoken union member and barista, Joe Tessone, yesterday that it was laying him off, just two weeks after he confronted CEO Howard Schultz over the company's squeezing of employees. Mr. Tessone's blog post on the encounter entitled, "Howard the Coward: The Day My Boss Ran Away" quickly became an Internet hit among fast food workers and their supporters (online at: http://www.iww.org/en/node/4618).

"When I heard Howard Schultz was in town, I knew had to get to the store and make my voice heard as a barista and union member," said Tessone, a 4-year veteran of the company with an excellent performance record. "He said he'd speak to me after his interview with the Wall Street Journal only to scurry through the emergency exit the first chance he got. I told Schultz that it was time to dialogue with union baristas and that too many of us we're living in poverty but he showed nothing but cowardice."

Shortly after his exchange with Schultz, Tessone was ordered into a one-on-one meeting with a Starbucks Regional Director rather than the store manager who would normally administer discipline. The director warned Tessone that he was out of compliance with Starbucks' new "Optimal Scheduling" policy which pries open baristas' availability to work without guaranteeing any work hours. The problem with the director's rationale: Tessone's availability was indeed in complete compliance with Optimal Scheduling requirements which are laid out in a written policy. The same rationale was erroneously deployed by Tessone's store manager yesterday when he was laid off.

"Starbucks' claim that I was out of compliance with the policy is a fantasy; I actually exceeded its requirements," explained Tessone. "I come to work on time and work hard everyday. It?s clear that my attempt to speak with Starbucks' anti-union CEO and the escalation of union activity at the company is what caused my termination."

This isn't the first time that Howard Schultz lacked the fortitude to discuss Starbucks' animosity toward labor unions and its refusal to provide stable work hours to employees. In a remarkably similar situation in 2004, Schultz hurried out of a New York City Starbucks after union barista Daniel Gross challenged him to sit down at a table and talk face-to-face.

In addition to Tessone's firing, the Industrial Workers of the World is currently challenging several unlawful responses by Starbucks to the increase in action by the union in Chicago. These charges include allegations that Starbucks increased surveillance against baristas at a Chicago store to which the union recently expanded and illegally laid off barista Tracey Dietrich. The IWW Starbucks Workers Union has thus far defeated the coffee giant in six labor cases across three cities.

"We will continue to ensure our members are protected," says Chrissy Cogswell, a Starbucks barista in Chicago and a union organizer. "Every time the company violates workers' rights, we will seek justice."

The IWW Starbucks Workers Union (StarbucksUnion.org) is an organization of almost 300 current and former Starbucks employees united for a living wage, secure work hours, and respect on the job. Founded in 2004, the union uses direct action, litigation, and advocacy to both make systemic improvements at Starbucks and take on the company over unfair treatment of individual baristas.

Open to all working people, the Industrial Workers of the World (iww.org) is a member-operated labor union dedicated to democracy in the workplace and global solidarity.
###
Daniel Gross
Organizer
IWW Starbucks Workers Union
www.StarbucksUnion.org
Ph:(917) 577-1110
Fx:(917) 591-6128
dgross@iww.org
Related Links
Starbucks Baristas Go Union!

AMERICAN LABOUR:

SOLIDARITY WITH SHARON BELL:

The following item is from the website of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), the parent organization of the Starbucks Union who have been organizing baristas at the chain for the last few years. be sure to check out the Starbucks Union website for further information on their efforts.

............................

Protesters Charge Starbucks With Union-Busting:
From NBC New York:

Protesters call for "reinstatement of all fired union baristas"

With 10 or 15 current and former Starbucks colleagues by her side, former barista Sharon Bell stood dressed in a black winter parka holding a sign with the names of six recently fired baristas, including herself, and the words, "Rehire laid off baristas now!!!"

Last week, Bell was fired by Starbucks for what her managers said were issues relating to her tardiness and overall attendance, a charge she and her fellow union members adamantly deny.

Bell said the real reason for her "expresso termination" is recent activity with the Starbucks Workers Union. In a document given out at the protest, the union claims the popular coffee company "has illegally fired three baristas for organizing with the Starbucks Workers Union. Sheanel Simon, Sharon Bell and Neal Linder are excellent baristas and highly respected union members." The Union goes on to note that Simon has since been reinstated, while Bell and Linder remain unemployed.

Included with the documents are demands that range from the practical to the lofty, with calls for "severance packages for all laid off baristas," the restoration of benefit programs like personal days, vacation hours, and 401ks, "the reinstatement of all fired union baristas," and "an end to fear-based management and illegal union-busting."

Just last December, a judge found Starbucks guilty of union-busting.

Starbucks officials have yet to respond to a request for comment, and the protesting group plans to stay "until their message is heard." With enough expressos, that could be all week

.Copyright NBC Local Media

Photo by Angela Cranford
Related Links
NBC New York
Wobbly City
Links from Article Text
NBC New York

AMERICAN LABOUR:
IWW WINS LEGAL VICTORY AGAINST STARBUCKS:
The following is from the website of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Seems that the IWW has won a battle against the Starbucks Chain, but they're hoping to win the whole war.
............................

Starbucks Settles ULP Charges Over Firing At Michigan Store, But Union Refuses To Sign:
Disclaimer - The opinions of the author do not necessarily match those of the IWW. The image pictured to the right(left here at Molly's Blog) did not appear in the original article, we have added it here to provide a visual perspective. This article is reposted in accordance to Fair Use guidelines.





A National Labor Relations Board regional director in Detroit Jan. 16 approved a settlement agreement with Starbucks Corp. resolving allegations of unfair labor practices by the Starbucks Workers Union (SWU), an affiliate of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), filed with NLRB Region 7 (Starbucks Corp. d/b/a Starbucks Coffee Co., N.L.R.B. Reg. Dir., No. 7-CA-51190, settlement approved 1/16/09).





The NLRB regional office in Detroit had found sufficient evidence to establish an employer violation of the National Labor Relations Act at a Starbucks store in Grand Rapids, Mich., according to Stephen Glasser, NLRB regional director for Region 7.





The Grand Rapids Starbucks Workers Union (SWU) filed several charges April 15, one of which NLRB found to be a possible violation of the act. On behalf of fired worker Cole Dorsey, SWU claimed Starbucks illegally fired a worker who had been involved in union activities.





Glasser said NLRB concluded there was sufficient evidence to establish Dorsey was fired for his union activities and support for the union. "We thought we could prove that," he told BNA Jan. 9. Starbucks had said it fired Dorsey for attendance issues, Glasser said.
Reinstatement Not Required.
Under the settlement, reached one day before a trial was to be held, Starbucks will expunge record of the termination from the employee's personnel file and will post a notice for 60 days at the Grand Rapids, Mich., store outlining employees' rights under the NLRA.





Under the settlement, Starbucks is not required to reinstate the employee or issue back pay. Although the union had sought Dorsey's reinstatement, NLRB determined that it would not be appropriate, Glasser said.





NLRB would not agree to allow a denial of company wrongdoing in the settlement, but that does not mean Starbucks admits to wrongdoing, Glasser told BNA Jan. 21.





The union issued a statement Jan. 13 saying it is pleased the board found that Starbucks violated federal labor law by firing Dorsey. However, "since the SWU prefers open trials to settlements and because Mr. Dorsey was not awarded the full array of remedies we believe he is entitled to, the union will not be joining the agreement between Starbucks and the NLRB."





SWU said Dorsey is "an outspoken union member working with his co-workers to achieve secure work hours and fairness on the job."





Glasser approved the settlement without a signature of a union representative after the union declined to sign the settlement.





The union does not intend to appeal the settlement to the NLRB office in Washington, D.C., Daniel Gross, an IWW organizer and former Starbucks employee, said Jan. 21.





Among the charges SWU filed in April, the union also claimed Starbucks had violated an earlier settlement agreement of unfair labor practice charges reached in October 2007 (195 DLR A-5, 10/10/07). In that settlement agreement, the employer said it will not interrogate employees about union activities or restrain, coerce, or interfere with employee rights under the NLRA.





Dorsey told BNA Jan. 9 that if the case had gone to trial, the union would have been able to raise other issues as evidence. Dorsey maintained that he was fired for filing a safety report with the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration about employees' hazardous mold concerns as the result of an air conditioner leak at the store. Dorsey said Starbucks lawyers had interrogated him about a meeting with MIOSHA.





In a Jan. 21 statement, Starbucks said, "We feel vindicated as the agreement does not require reinstatement of or back pay to a partner whose termination we believe was appropriate."
Earlier Developments.
The settlement in Grand Rapids is the latest incident involving SWU claims of anti-union practices at Starbucks.





In December, an NLRB administrative law judge found Starbucks had violated workers' rights by restricting activity on behalf of SWU and by firing three workers because of their support for the labor organization (249 DLR A-1, 12/30/08). Gross was one of the three workers the ALJ found was fired for his union support.





In October, Starbucks settled NLRB charges of unfair labor practices by reinstating an employee in Minneapolis, providing back pay, and removing record of the discipline from his personnel records (195 DLR A-9, 10/8/08). The alleged unfair labor practice allegations in Minneapolis that NLRB determined to be meritorious were related to concerted, protected activities, but not to union activities.





In March 2006, Starbucks and IWW Industrial Union 660 reached a settlement in New York of unfair labor practice charges alleging that two workers were discharged for engaging in protected union activity (47 DLR A-2, 3/10/06).
© 2009, The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.
Related Links
Starbucks Baristas Go Union!
Grand Rapids IWW

AMERICAN LABOUR/ANARCHO-SYNDICALISM:

SOLIDARITY WITH ANNA HURST:

Over the past few years the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) has had increasing success in unionizing workers at the Starbucks chain of coffee shops. the bosses have, of course, fought back, but their tactics are little more than the usual contempt with which they treat their employees. Here's a case in point from the website of the IWW and appeal for help for one of the Starbucks workers. Help out if you can.

............................

Call-In/Text-In Action: Demand Starbucks Pay Barista Her Wages!:
Fellow Union Members and Friends:
Anna Hurst is a New York City barista, Starbucks Union member, and a single mother of two.

One day in August, Anna went home ill from work at Starbucks. In retaliation, her store manager - abruptly and without notice - denied her any work hours for two full weeks.
Anna needs the money she's owed to put food on the table, pay her bills, and buy Christmas presents for her children.

Call and/or text message store manager Gwendolyn Krueger today at 551-497-0127 and demand that Starbucks pay Anna what she is owed!

This action for dignity will last seven days, Dec. 5-Dec. 12

Thank you for your solidarity and please share this e-mail with friends and co-workers.
Related Links
Starbucks Baristas Go Union!