Christmas Eve this year was a cold one for the Starbucks baristas of Epping and Stratham. It had already started to snow before first light, and as the sun rose, you could see the workers starting to set up their tables, pickets, and speaker setups. Instead of opening the store like usual, they came together to form a picket line outside their respective stores, holding signs that read “Starbucks: Stop Unfair Labor Practices!” and “Honk for Better Worker Rights!” and chanting lines such as “What’s disgusting? Union busting!” and “No contracts, No coffee!”.

Starbucks Workers United represents over 10,000 workers in over 500 unionized stores across the United States. They have engaged in hundreds of hours of bargaining with Starbucks, but the company has refused to bring a comprehensive economic package to the table. This is while hundreds of unfair labor practice (ULP) charges on unionized baristas by Starbucks remain unresolved (totalling in over $100 million legal liabilities).

With that in mind, an overwhelming 98% of union members voted to authorize a strike. These workers want to send a message to Starbucks that they are serious about not only winning a strong contract but also (and just as importantly) to protest those hundreds of outstanding ULP charges. One example of unfair labor practices committed by Starbucks happened during the first year of bargaining with SBWU, when Starbucks (while refusing to bargain in good faith) implemented some of the public demands made by the union at non-union stores.

On the ground, some of these workers wanted to make that point clear, saying that “it’s not just about the wages, but about the unfair labor practices, and lack of respect shown to them by the company and (some) management.” At the Epping location, customers were supportive, honking their horns and waving as they drove by. The ones who did try to enter get coffee from the store were met with either a locked door or an unattended drive-through. Most of these customers while disappointed, were understanding and supportive of what the baristas were fighting for.

Southern New Hampshire DSA proudly stands in solidarity with Starbucks Workers United baristas and the fight for just working conditions, fair wages, immediate access to withheld benefits, and much, much more.

Follow SBWU on their socials to keep up with their negotiations and find ways to support them!

SBWorkersUnited

SBWorkersUnited

SBWorkersUnited

SBWorkersUnited