On Friday, December 21st, around a dozen area IWW members, overwhelmingly Starbucks Baristas, gathered outside of 1 of around 4 Dupont Circle Starbucks, braving the harsh winter elements in favor of abolishing the wage system. Their mission: reveal the Starbucks PR facade for what it is. Starbucks talks the social responsibility talk but they employ fewer with healthcare than even Walmart, so often the target of liberal scorn. A union members words are pertinent:

"I'm a mother of four and my Starbucks wage puts me well below the poverty line,"

Seth Dietz, Starbucks barista and IWW member in Rockville Maryland, tells his story:

Life at Starbucks has improved for baristas in Rockville with a union!  We’ve already had victories around the trash in our store, work hours, respect, and recycling.  There is a stronger sense of community among workers. Union members can now walk through the doors with a spring in their step after letting the company know that we aren’t going to be pushed around anymore by bosses. Since declaring membership in the IWW Starbucks Workers Union the presence of a union in our store is bringing about real change.

Trash Problem Solved With Increased Staffing

Our store used to open with two people in the morning. The plan is now three people will be scheduled in the morning.  The result is giving workers adequate time to complete their daily morning tasks including removing the trash heap in the back.  We had wanted a second trashcan to create a safe walkway in the back of the store which was inundated with trash but it turns out there’s not really space for one.  But adding another worker to help us we decided is a better solution! This victory is a direct result of “unofficial negotiations” with the District Manager after we went public with a demand to solve the trash problem.

The DC IWW held a picket Monday, September 11, 2006 of Adams Morgan Starbucks from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

IWW members passed out 300 flyers and collected approximately 75 signatures for a petition demanding that the four fired workers (IWW Members Daniel Gross, Evan Winterscheidt, Joe Agnis Jr and Charls Fostrom) be rehired.

About 8 or 9 IWW members and supporters attended the picket and generally speaking a good time was had by all. The DC IWW is planning to picket another Starbucks in two weeks.

On August 28th, 5 members of the Washington DC Industrial Workers of the World (DC-IWW) and several local supporters met at Dupont Circle to stage an informational picket of the nearby Starbucks. Under stenciled picket signs emblazoned with "Starbucks: Rehire Fired Union Organizers!" and "Support the Starbucks Union," they handed out 300 flyers to a very sympathetic public, and distributed more than 20 CDs featuring Noam Chomsky's "Class War" lecture, and anarchist texts from Rudolph Rocker, Ricardo Flores Magon, Petr Kropotkin, and Mikhail Bakunin. Passersby and customers of the shop were asked for their signatures on a consumer petition demanding the rehiring of fired IWW union organizers Dainel Gross, Evan Winterscheidt, Joe Agins Jr., and Charles Fostrom. In 90 minutes, the DC-IWW obtained over 50 signatures. All in all, the event attracted the attention of hundreds in the DC area to the union-busting practices of the largest coffee chain in the world and demonstrated the committment of the Industrial Workers of the World to unionizing for the interests of the working class against arbitrary bosses. 

The Dupont Circle Starbucks was selected for its location in one of the richest neighborhoods of DC, its numerous clientele, and the dense foot traffic of DuPont Circle, which ensured the highest number of persons engaged by the demonstrators. Before the picket, two members of the DC-IWW informed store workers of the impending protest. They responded positively, one worker chiming, "We support you."

The DC IWW picketed the Dupont Circle Starbucks today from 6:30 pm  until 8:00 pm. The workers seemed to appreciate our presence and  thanked us for our support. One said "I'm with you." Over the course  of an hour and a half five Wobblies and three supporters handed out  about 300 flyers and collected more than 50 signatures on a petition  demanding that Starbucks re-hire the fired workers. We hope to hold  future pickets on a bi-weekly basis.