IWW Delivers Cake to Mall Of America Starbucks Workers

Saturday June 26 was like any other busy Saturday at the Mall of America 1 Starbucks. A barista had called in sick during the morning shift, another had walked out in disgust the weekend prior. A Manager from another store was covering the shift of a barista who had been fired for union activity two weeks before. The store was shortstaffed, and the lines of customers were long.

But this Saturday was different. By 3:00, the grinding cacaphony of the frappuccino blenders died down, as a chorus of Solidarity Forever echoed through the Mall.

“When the union’s inspiration through the workers’ blood shall run…”

Workers stepped back from their tasks to crowd around the front counter. Managers looked on in silence. About two dozen Wobblies streamed into the Mall of America 1 Starbucks to welcome the workers to the union… with a cake.

For Immediate Release:
Starbucks Workers Union/Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
Contact: Erik Forman, 612-245-4871
July 21, 2008

Starbucks Baristas at the Mall of America Stop Work to Protest Store Closures

Workers Demand Right to Transfer and Fair Severance for Affected Employees

Press Conference July 22, 12 noon, Mall of America Northside Parking Lot

Twin Cities, MN- Baristas at the Mall of America Starbucks walked off the café floor today and delivered a demand letter to management calling for just treatment of all employees affected by Starbucks’ closure of stores nationwide. The surprise job action comes in the wake of the coffee giant’s announcement that it will close 600 stores, including 27 in Minnesota.

The baristas demanded an option to transfer to other stores and a fair severance package for affected workers. Starbucks reportedly plans to give workers just one month notice before laying them off with a paltry two weeks’ pay The company will insist that some baristas transfer and will revoke severance pay if transfer offers are refused.

Disclaimer - The opinions of the author do not necessarily match those of the IWW. This article is reposted in accordance to Fair Use guidelines.

By Julie Forster, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.

Jul. 22--Some baristas at the Mall of America Starbucks are using the company's recently announced plans to close 600 stores nationwide to publicize a 4-year-old union organizing effort.

Starbucks plans to close 27 Minnesota locations.

On Monday, two workers walked off the cafe floor and delivered a demand letter to the store manager asking for, among other things, a more lucrative severance package for workers in Minnesota affected by the store closings, according to the Starbucks Workers Union, an organizing campaign of the Industrial Workers of the World.

By J. Pierce and Steve O.

The Bay Area IWW held an informational leafleting at a Starbucks cafe in Alameda, CA., at the busy intersection of Park Street and Central Avenue on Sunday July 6. Making good contact with the baristas inside, and a few passers-by who happened also to be Starbucks employees, we expressed our solidarity and offered our support in their efforts to gain more control over their jobs.

The demonstration was small, as it was organized at the last minute. The IWW members present made sure that the workers inside were aware that this demonstration was in solidarity with Grand Rapids, Michigan IWW member and Starbucks Barista Cole Dorsey and CNT Starbucks Barista, Monica. The organizers also made it clear to the baristas in Alameda that this demonstration did not target them and that the Starbucks Union is not (yet) calling for a boycott of Starbucks.

Originally posted at anarkismo.net

Dublin Report:

From 12 pm a small group of us decided to leaflet inside some of the other Dublin Starbucks preliminary to the main demonstration on the one in Dame Street. We started upstairs in BT2 Grafton Street – some leaflets were got into the hands of staff behind the bar – but a BT2 security guard is hot on our heels snaffling and crumpling paper as he goes. No security or management presense at all in Dawson street where we get a more leisurely stroll and distribute a good number of leaflets – staff and customers read with interest. Similarly in a fairly deserted Starbucks in the IFSC.

Finally we get back to Dame Street and do another quick run around inside. A minute later we are greeted by Irene; district manager of Starbuck’s Dublin. She is icely and formally polite informing us that we are welcome to protest peacefully but not to leaflet inside the premises and to check in any time for refreshments . We decline the offer. Then she turns paranoid asking us if we are recording her (though we have neither the equipment or the inclination!)– turns back in and is not seen again.

The crowd in Dame Street quickly swells to over 30: with WSM members and many other activists; mostly but not exclusively libertarian. The atmosphere is cheerful through out and people manage to engage with workers on several occasions. Encouraged we head back to Dawson Street and again up to 30 people throng around it; a very strong presense at a quite small entrance.

By Inni Chowdhury - NYC Indymedia

A dozen protesters gathered in front of the Starbucks on 17th and Broadway on Saturday July 5 to protest the termination of two union organizing baristas. Liberte Locke, ( a current barista who works in Manhattan, wrote a letter to Chairman Howard Schultz, asking to re-instate two terminated employees: Monica (who has declined to reveal her last name for fear of being blacklisted by other potential empolyers) and Cole Dorsey, of Grand Rapids Michigan.

According to the official Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) website, “Monica was fired on the 24th of April without notice. She had resisted management when they made people work public holidays without extra pay. The store manager had told her on several occasions that she must have nothing to do with unions.”

Cole Dorsey was fired on June 6. He had been an active member of IWW Starbucks Workers Union.

By John Kalwaic - originally posted to indymedia.org (view the video at this link)

On July 5th , some members of the Philadelphia branch of the Industrial Workers of the World and I organized a small demonstration in front the Starbucks on 9th and South Street at 1:00pm. This action was to protest the firing of Starbucks baristas who had been trying to unionize with the IWW Starbucks Workers Union in the United States. This event was coordinated with the Anarchist CNT Union in Spain where baristas have also been fired for organizing. Friends and family of IWW members also came by to show support for the demonstration. Protestors came with IWW flags and songs condemning the actions of Starbucks against union members in New York City, Grand Rapids Michigan and Seville Spain. We also handed out flyers so people could contact Starbucks in order to voice disapproval to the company for its union busting polices. The pickets sang songs such as Solidarity Forever and chanted “What’s Disgusting!?-Union Busting! What’s Outrages?!-Starbucks Wages!”

When we first set up the manger came to yell at us because she thought for sure we were doing something illegal. We told her that this is a public sidewalk and we could have a demonstration if we wanted. The manager said she was going to call the authorities and tell them what we were doing, However no policeman ever came to bother us since we were not blocking the sidewalk or the entrance to Starbucks. The manager posted an orange sing on the door that said, “We love our jobs.” Despite this typical act of managerial propaganda most people were receptive and took the flyers we were handing out. The Philadelphia IWW is not currently organizing any Starbucks workers; rather we are organizing a solidarity rally with Starbucks workers in other US cities in other parts of the world. The demonstration was successful and we got our message across.

starbucksunion.org