Starbucks Workers Organize in NJ

More than two dozen officials have signed a letter in support of union organizing activities at Starbucks stores in New Jersey, where workers in Hopewell, Summit and Hamilton recently went public with their support of the Starbucks Workers United organizing efforts. Voting on joining the union will begin shortly at those stores.

The letter, addressed to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, calls for the company to sign on to Fair Election Principles and not impede organizing or retaliate against workers.

Workers at Starbucks in Buffalo, NY were the first to join SB Workers United late last year. Now union elections are underway at Starbucks coffee shops across the country. Employees at Hopewell, Summit and Hamilton are the first voting in New Jersey, where there are about 250 Starbucks stores.

“We stand in solidarity with Starbucks workers seeking to organize in our state and our communities,” said Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman. “New Jersey is stronger when workers have a collective voice in their pay and working conditions. We expect management to respect the process, which is why we join Starbucks Workers United in calling on Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz to sign the Fair Election Principles.”

Congressman Donald Norcross also signed the letter and said he supported the Starbucks workers. “The pandemic highlighted how the economy has benefited big corporations and the wealthy at the expense of working people. All workers should be able to organize for better wages and fair working conditions free of intimidation,” said Norcross, who is a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 351. “Workers at Starbucks deserve better wages, better working conditions, more reliable schedules, and a voice in their workplace.“

The organizing committee at Hopewell Starbucks issued a statement detailing intimidation tactics by management: “We at the Hopewell Starbucks were warned by partners across the country about the types of union busting tactics Starbucks has been using at their stores after they filed for their union elections. After we filed, we also experienced many of these, including captive audience meetings, one-on-one meetings with upper management intended to intimidate us, and countless flyers put up in the employee-area of our store that blatantly lie to us about unions. The latest instance has been cutting our labor, which are hours of work that many workers depend on not only to pay their bills, but also to qualify for essential benefits like healthcare. We’ve seen that Starbucks’ next step will be to start issuing retaliatory employee write-ups, and even firings. This kind of aggressive union-busting is unacceptable, and we’re glad that New Jersey elected officials are calling on Starbucks to sign and adhere to the Fair Election Principles.”

Workers say they need to advocate for better wages and working conditions. Bella Griep works at the Hamilton store. “When I started at Starbucks 20 years ago, I never imagined that I’d be strongly supporting an effort to unionize. At that time, I genuinely felt respected by my company. I never would have thought that Starbucks would so brazenly disregard the concerns of its workers. We now feel unseen and unheard,” Griep said. “(Starbucks CEO) Howard Schultz can show true respect for his partners by signing the Fair Election Principles agreement and giving us a seat at the table.”

Understaffing at stores has led to more work – but no extra pay – for workers, said Janeisha Allen-Adlam, a shift supervisor at the store in Summit.  “Most of the time we’re severely short-staffed, it makes for a really stressful work environment,” said Allen-Adlam.  The situation worsened during the pandemic, she said, noting that there were shifts when only two or three of seven scheduled employees were working.  “Starbucks management doesn’t hear our complaints. They are not hearing us or paying us well.”

Workers United is supporting the Starbucks Workers United movement.  An international union, Workers United represents more than 86,000 workers in the apparel, laundry, food service,     hospitality, non-profit, warehouse distribution, and manufacturing industries in the United States and Canada. Its New Jersey office is in Newark