![]() "The critical point is that I do not believe conflict, division and dissension - which has been a focus of union organizing - benefits Starbucks or our partners." "Outside labor unions are attempting to sell a very different view of what Starbucks should be," he wrote in an open letter posted on the company's website April 10.Įmployees "supporting unionization are colluding with outside union forces," he wrote. In videotaped town hall presentations, written communications to workers and managers, and in meetings with workers around the country, Schultz has repeatedly characterized unions as a menace to the company's economics and future. The company has mounted a fierce counterattack against the organizing drive. The partners were left in the crosshairs without the resources necessary to handle what was happening, without the right precautions and protocols that allowed them to feel safe." "Because Starbucks is a front-facing company considered 'essential,'" Workers United organizing chief Richard Minter says, "the pandemic exacerbated the employer-employee relationship. Workers United says 28 Starbucks stores have now voted to unionize, up from nine that had done so as of April 1. Five stores in the Richmond, Va., area voted for unions by overwhelming margins on April 19 alone, and workers at the company's Seattle Reserve Roastery, a flagship tourist draw in Starbucks' home city, announced a successful vote on April 21. That's a fraction of the roughly 9,000 company-operated stores in the U.S., but reports of new successful votes are streaming in on virtually a daily basis. Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union that is organizing union votes, says 223 Starbucks locations in 31 states have filed for votes with the NLRB. One reason may be the company's warm and comforting image and its efforts to project a friendly relationship between customers and workers, who are designated in company parlance as "partners." That's very much at odds with the image of an employer so cold to the welfare of its workers that they're spurred to organize.Īnother may be the rapidity of the unionization drive's expansion, which began with pro-union votes at three Buffalo-area stores. Many American consumer companies, including Amazon and McDonalds, have been dealing with a surging interest in unionization by their employees, spurred in part by the pandemic-driven recognition that their employers have consistently undervalued their contributions to business success.īut few such union drives are as high-profile as the one at Starbucks. (We've asked Starbucks to give its version of the exchange, but have not heard back.) Finally, Hall says, he snapped: "If you hate Starbucks so much, why don't you go somewhere else?" Schultz kept refusing to discuss the NLRB matters, Hall says. That was at odds with his evident goal of presenting Starbucks as a nurturing company for its workforce and himself as the nurturer-in-chief in order to stave off a growing unionization drive at the company's locations. Hall says that Schultz became increasingly irritated as Hall brought up the unfair labor practice complaints that the company has faced before the National Labor Relations Board. It's reasonable to say that this session, at a conference facility near Long Beach Airport, didn't go the way Starbucks brass expected. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, attacking organized labor Although I did not plan to return to Starbucks, I know the company must transform once again to meet a new and exciting future where all of our stakeholders mutually flourish," said Schultz.Outside labor unions are attempting to sell a very different view of what Starbucks should be. "When you love something, you have a deep sense of responsibility to help when called. This will mark Schultz's third time leading the company. Howard Schultz will return to lead the company starting April 4 as interim CEO while Starbucks continues searching for a permanent leader. "Johnson will transition from his current role on April 4, 2022, and will continue to serve as a Starbucks partner (employee) and special consultant to the company and Board of Directors through September," said the company in a statement. Johnson has been with the company for a total of 14 years in different capacities. The news of Starbucks shifting from paper to reusable cups comes as Johnson announced his retirement after holding the role for five years. RELATED: Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Attributes Coffee Empire to His Upbringing in Brooklyn Projects Chona Kasinger/Bloomberg via Getty Stephen Brashear/Getty ![]()
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