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Tag: starbucks union

  • Starbucks workers in Oviedo join national strike

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    Unionized Starbucks workers at the 305 E. Mitchell Hammock Road store in Oviedo join national strike (Dec. 11, 2025) Credit: Clay Blastic/Starbucks Workers United

    After voting overwhelmingly to go on strike if needed to secure a fair union contract, baristas at one of Central Florida’s only unionized Starbucks locations in Oviedo have joined a national strike that began last month, as part of a pressure campaign to get Starbucks to agree to their demands.

    Workers at other stores, unionized with Starbucks Workers United have gradually joined the strike, leveraging an escalation strategy used by the United Auto Workers union during their “Stand Up” strike against automakers Ford, General Motors and Stellantis in 2023.

    “If we get a good contract, that sets a standard that other stores can look at and go, ‘This is better than what the store — this company that says it’s progressive — is offering,’” said Clay Blastic, a local Starbucks barista of more than 10 years.  Blastic, a union leader at his store, told Orlando Weekly that they’re fighting for a union contract with Starbucks that not only lifts up the wages and working conditions of unionized baristas, but sets higher standards for others, too.

    “A rising tide lifts all boats, as they say,” he said. Starbucks workers at the 305 E. Mitchell Hammock Road location in Oviedo joined the strike early Thursday morning, which has now spread across 180 locations in 34 cities, including two unionized Starbucks locations in West Palm Beach — the first in Florida to join the strike last week — and Clearwater. Baristas at the Oviedo location first voted to unionize in 2022. They were joined Thursday on the picket line by allies with labor union UNITE HERE and Central Florida Jobs with Justice.

    Unlike one-day strikes organized by Starbucks baristas in the past — a rarity in an industry where so few workers are actually unionized — this strike is an open-ended strike, meaning the end date for their work stoppage is yet to be determined. 

    “Baristas like me shouldn’t be worrying about making rent or whether we’ll qualify for healthcare coverage, especially in the holiday season,” Zarian Antonio Pouncy, a barista of 12 years from Las Vegas, said in a statement from his union. “We need Starbucks to end the illegal union busting, and we need a fair contract with fair pay, reliable hours, and on-the-job protections. Until then, the message from baristas and our allies across the U.S. and beyond is clear: No Contract, No Coffee!”

    Workers are asking for customers to boycott of all Starbucks locations and products for the duration of the strike

    Starbucks, despite is progressive branding, has been accused of hundreds of labor law violations since 2021, when baristas in Buffalo, New York, unionized the first corporate-owned location in the United States. Allegations range from Starbucks illegally firing workers for their union activity to cutting the hours of and otherwise retaliating against baristas who are organizing at their store.

    Earlier this month, Starbucks also reached a $38 million settlement with New York City’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, according to The City NYC, over Starbucks “arbitrarily” cutting workers’ hours, in violation of the city’s “fair workweek” law. Fair workweek laws, which guarantee predictability in workers’ schedules, were banned by Florida lawmakers through legislation approved by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year.

    Blastic, the local barista, said that meeting baristas’ economic demands in a union contract — the primary sticking point in negotiations — would cost Starbucks less than just one average day of sales. Other union leaders have argued the same. “It’s just a question of priorities,” he said. 

    Starbucks, for instance, found the money to gift its new CEO Brian Niccol, the former head of burrito chain Chipotle, a nearly $100 million compensation package last year. According to an annual report from the AFL-CIO, Niccol made 6,666 times the pay of the average Starbucks barista in 2024.

    “They call us ‘partners,’ but I’d like to see them put their money where their mouth is when it comes to that,” Blastic said. While critics might argue that barista jobs are meant to be entry-level jobs for younger workers, Blastic argued, “All jobs deserve dignity.”

    Starbucks workers in Oviedo join national strike (Dec. 11, 2025) Credit: Clay Blastic/Starbucks Workers United

    “We used to see a lot more older people that were able to make a living with Starbucks, and that has changed over the years,” he said. The union last year sought a $20 minimum wage in their contract with Starbucks, plus annual 5 percent raises and cost-of-living adjustments. Starbucks, instead, offered a contract delivering no immediate pay raises — a deal soundly rejected by union baristas earlier this year.

    “This is a college store,” Blastic admitted of his location, referring to the fact that they see frequent turnover from students at the University of Central Florida who are looking for a job outside of their studies. Even if this is a student’s first job, he said, “They still deserve the basic dignity of being able to support themselves off the job and respect from their management and protections in the workplace.”

    According to Starbucks Workers United, nearly 4,000 unionized Starbucks workers are now on strike, as of Thursday morning, as part of the union’s latest expansion of the work stoppage. Workers are asking customers and their communities to boycott Starbucks for as long as they’re on strike — meaning, no gift cards, no coffee, no merch.

    “There are plenty of wonderful local coffee shops in the area, in Oviedo, that would love their business,” said Blastic. “But it’s time for the customers as well to say … ‘if there’s going to be no contract, there’s going to be no coffee.’”

    Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson, in response to the strike, told Orlando Weekly in a statement that 99 percent of their 17,000 U.S. locations are still open and welcoming customers, “including many the union publicly stated would strike but never closed or have since reopened.”

    In response to the union’s economic demands, Anderson said that pay and benefits for Starbucks jobs average $30 per hour for hourly positions. “Regardless of the union’s plans, we do not anticipate any meaningful disruption,” she said. “When the union is ready to return to the bargaining table, we’re ready to talk.”

    Politicians like U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, and U.S. Congressman Maxwell Frost (a former Starbucks barista) have shared support for the striking Starbucks workers — with the former two even joining a picket line with workers up in Brooklyn.

    “Right now, Starbucks workers are on strike,” Congressman Frost, a Democrat from Orlando, shared in a Nov. 25 social media reel. “As a former Starbucks barista myself, I’m proud of @sbworkersunited for organizing nationwide. They need our support and solidarity.”

    If you’re interested in showing your support for union baristas on strike, you can find a map of Starbucks Workers United public picket lines at NoContractNoCoffee.org.

    Starbucks workers in Oviedo have also set up a strike fund through GoFundMe, to help cover workers’ lost income while they’re on strike.

    Proceeds from merch on the union’s website, including shirts with messages like “Be Gay and Organize” and “Trans Rights Are Labor Rights,” are also currently going toward workers’ strike funds.

    Starbucks workers in Oviedo join national strike (Dec. 11, 2025) Credit: Clay Blastic/Starbucks Workers United

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    While some progress has been made in contract talks with Starbucks, the union is threatening a potential strike if they don’t reach a deal that workers approve.

    Union workers accuse the coffee company of violating federal labor law.

    The local workers could join more than 10,500 Starbucks workers across the U.S. who have already unionized



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  • ‘Just practicing for a just contract’: Starbucks workers in Central Florida prepare for potential strike

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    Starbucks workers in Oviedo practice picket line in preparation for a potential strike. Credit: by McKenna Schueler

    Ahead of a vote on whether to authorize a national strike by unionized Starbucks workers, a group of off-shift baristas at one of Central Florida’s only unionized locations gathered outside their store Wednesday afternoon to practice their picket line.

    The action — posing little to no disruption to business inside the Oviedo location, with their fellow co-workers working as scheduled — was organized as part of a pressure campaign by their union, Starbucks Workers United.

    The union, which represents more than 12,000 Starbucks baristas and shift supervisors, has been fighting for a contract since 2021, when workers at a Starbucks in Buffalo, New York voted to form the first unionized Starbucks in the U.S.  

    That victory has been a beacon of inspiration for local baristas, spurring a flurry of organizing efforts at Starbucks locations across the U.S. The movement has been driven largely by a workforce of younger, queer workers initially drawn to work at Starbucks by the coffee giant’s competitive pay (compared to other entry-level jobs) and its progressive branding.

    Since the store in Buffalo unionized, Starbucks workers at more than 650 locations in 45 states —  including states like North Carolina, where unions are less common — have similarly voted to join the Workers United.

    For Kevin Beljan, a barista of seven years at the Oviedo store, the fight for a strong union contract is a noble cause he believes is worth the challenge.

    “I think that it has far-reaching implications,” he told Orlando Weekly Tuesday, as co-workers beside him flashed signs with messages like “No contract? No coffee!”

    Beljan’s not wrong. Workers for the burrito chain Chipotle (whose former CEO now leads Starbucks) and Trader Joe’s, for instance, have named Starbucks workers as inspiration for their own union drives, too.

    “After seeing the victories at Starbucks, it was like ‘Oh, my God, we can accomplish this,’” one Chipotle worker told the Washington Post in 2022 after workers at her Michigan restaurant voted to join the Teamsters. “A lot of young people are in favor of unionizing but thought it would never happen here,” the worker added. “That realism is what is keeping a lot of us down right now. Getting this far shows us we do have to try, because we can succeed.”

    Union workers accuse the coffee company of violating federal labor law.

    The local workers could join more than 10,500 Starbucks workers across the U.S. who have already unionized

    Securing an initial union contract, however, can take well over a year — an analysis by Bloomberg found this can take 465 days on average.

    Although progress has been made on finalizing a union contract — including tentative agreements on non-economic items, such as anti-discrimination protections — the union says the company has failed to meet their demands on economic issues, such as pay and scheduling.

    After reaching a tentative deal with the coffee giant earlier this year, union members serving as delegates for their stores overwhelmingly rejected it, called Starbucks’ economic offer “insufficient.” The company, however, claims that the union has been the party unwilling to listen.

    “Workers United only represents around 4 percent of our partners but chose to walk away from the bargaining table. If they’re ready to come back, we’re ready to talk,” Jaci Anderson, a Starbucks spokesperson, told Orlando Weekly in a statement following initial publication of this story online.

    The tentative agreement reached between the two parties earlier this year guaranteed annual raises of at least 2 percent, according to Bloomberg, but did not offer any immediate pay raise guarantees.  On average, unionized workers earn 12.8 percent more than nonunion workers in comparable jobs, and the spillover effects of unionization can also force employers to raise standards for nonunion workers, too.

    Starting pay at the Oviedo location in Seminole County is currently listed by the company at $16.50 to $18.73. A living wage in Seminole is considered closer to $25 for a single, childless adult.

    The union has proposed a starting wage of at least $20 an hour, equal to $41,600 annually if one is working full time. Starbucks, on the other hand, says they already offer the “best job in retail, including more than $30 an hour on average in pay and benefits” for hourly workers.

    But that pay, and job security, isn’t guaranteed either. In a major shakeup, Starbucks recently announced plans to close 1 percent of its U.S. stores by the end of 2025, including 59 locations that are unionized. The union has criticized this move, pointing in part to the generous compensation package of nearly $100 million gifted to CEO Brian Niccol last year.

    According to a report from the AFL-CIO, a national federation of labor unions, Niccol made 6,666 times the pay of the average Starbucks barista in 2024.

    “I think there’s a massive imbalance,” said Beljan, the Oviedo barista. The most important fight by the union, he believes, is to hold Starbucks accountable for their treatment of workers, to “stop this corporate greed,” and to give more power to the rank-and-file like him who “generate the profit for this company.”

    Beljan’s never been a union member before this experience and admitted that, compared to what he hears from baristas in places like Philadelphia and New York City — where the percentage of unionized workers is much higher — organizing a strong union in Florida is “an uphill battle.”

    “We’re in a deep red state, and it’s more of an uphill battle than in, say, a blue state. But again, for me, you know, it’s worth it to see this through.”

    His co-worker Regan Schneider, a barista who transferred to the union Starbucks about a year ago, has similarly been inspired by the union. She previously worked at a non-union Starbucks in Port Charlotte. Although she’s getting ready to leave Starbucks to work as a teacher, she said the experience has inspired her to be an advocate for unions moving forward. 

    “I think there is this idea that you are more protected if you are neutral, but the truth is, you’re not protected if you’re neutral,” she said. “You need to show your support, whether that’s for the union or against the union.”

    Starbucks has been accused of hundreds of unfair labor practices by the union over the years of the organizing drive — essentially, accusations of violating workers’ rights under federal labor law. That includes allegations of illegally firing, surveilling, or threatening the benefits of workers who are involved in union organizing activity.

    “I’ve basically been harassed and targeted because of my involvement,” Beljan admitted. Still, he added that, at least with the union, “there’s also mechanisms to fight that that wouldn’t normally be there. And there’s also mechanisms for, like, accountability for management and people above me.”

    Schneider said Starbucks, a multibillion dollar company with unionized workers in other countries such as Chile, should be prepared for a fight ahead. “They need to learn to either fight with us,” she paused. “Or, to just get ready for a bigger fight.”

    A strike by the union would require a majority of the union’s 500+ delegates to vote in favor of authorizing their union to call for a strike action. It’s not something that a union leader could call for, or force workers to engage in unilaterally. According to Beljan, the strike authorization vote is currently underway.

    This post has been updated to include comment from a Starbucks spokesperson that was provided over email after the initial publication of this story.

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    Most teachers will receive a 4 percent raise under their new collective bargaining agreement

    Florida Republican Ryan Chamberlin filed similar legislation for consideration earlier this year but it failed to pass

    Disney argued a strike by employees of one of its contractors would violate a separate union contract Disney has that covers its own employees



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    McKenna Schueler
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  • Starbucks workers in Orlando seek to unionize

    Starbucks workers in Orlando seek to unionize

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    Joining a growing movement of Starbucks workers across the United States, workers at a Starbucks location in south Orlando have officially filed a petition seeking a union election, in an effort to collectively advocate for better staffing, stable hours, and to address alleged instances of racism and anti-LGBTQ+ comments coming from store management.

    “I want to unionize because I am passionate about Starbucks. I’m passionate about connecting with customers and, like, being there for this company that used to be community-first,” Lakota Stewart, a 27-year-old barista trainer at the Starbucks on 13401 Blue Heron Beach Drive, told Orlando Weekly.

    “I also want to make sure that me and my fellow baristas are working in a safe and inclusive environment,” Stewart added, sharing that they have personally faced “snide comments” regarding their queer identity and appearance, and has heard from co-workers about upper management talking down workers of color and workers for whom English isn’t their first language.

    “I want to make sure that that the people who are creating a hostile environment are worked to be retrained, instead of just being ignored or pushed aside,” they said.

    The workers’ union petition, filed with the National Labor Relations Board on Sept. 4, states that 19 full-time and part-time workers at Stewart’s location, including baristas and shift supervisors, would be covered by the labor union Starbucks Workers United, if workers vote to unionize.

    Starbucks Workers United, a grassroots campaign of the labor union Workers United, represents more than 10,500 workers employed by the major coffee chain at more than 490 stores nationwide, including 10 other locations in Florida. All have unionized over the last three years. It started with workers at a store in Buffalo, New York, who first unionized in 2021, setting off a flurry of organizing, with young and LGBTQ+ workers at the forefront of the movement seeking improved scheduling practices, better pay and benefits, racial and gender equity, and to have a real voice on the job.

    Yomna Abdellatif, a 23-year-old barista of about 3.5 years who works at the same Orlando-based Starbucks, located in the city’s bustling tourism district, said she’s been following the Starbucks organizing movement since its inception, but has been inspired by coverage of other Starbucks workers in Tampa, Clearwater and Oviedo who have similarly unionized.

    “Every time I read an article, even the ones locally, with the location in Oviedo and recently with Tampa and Clearwater, those stories really are empowering,” Abdellatif told Orlando Weekly. “Just listening to them and hearing that these partners had the bravery to stand up for themselves really inspired me, personally.”

    click to enlarge Courtney Thompson (left) stands on the picket line with fellow Starbucks workers at Central Florida's only unionized Starbucks on March 22, 2023. - Photo by McKenna Schueler/Orlando Weekly

    Photo by McKenna Schueler/Orlando Weekly

    Courtney Thompson (left) stands on the picket line with fellow Starbucks workers at Central Florida’s only unionized Starbucks on March 22, 2023.

    Abdellatif, like Stewart, felt motivated to organize workers at her location in part due to staffing issues, but also instances of discrimination from management that haven’t been addressed, despite voiced concerns. “We went forward to higher-ups to speak about our grievances, whether it’s from like the staffing or the racism,” she said. “Our cases are always shut down, so we figured it’s time for a union that will finally have our voices heard.”

    Both Stewart and Abdellatif also claimed managers at their location are engaging in “union-busting tactics,” such as spreading false information about unions. When we asked Starbucks about this, Orlando Weekly was told “our hope is the union would respect our right to share information and our perspective just as we respect their right to do so.”

    Stewart said they’ve had a broken dishwasher at their store for two years, but it was only after they began organizing that higher-ups went about trying to get the machine fixed (a common tactic used by companies as a last-ditch effort to convince workers they don’t need a union to address workplace concerns).

    The company initially launched an aggressive counter-campaign to workers’ organizing efforts back when the organizing movement across the country first began, racking up dozens of unfair labor practice charges that alleged the company illegally fired or otherwise retaliated against workers for their union activity.

    In February, the company finally waved a white flag of sorts, following bad PR and sinking stock values, and the company has since been willing to meet Starbucks union reps and workers at the bargaining table to hammer out collective bargaining agreements, informally known as union contracts.

    A company spokesperson told Orlando Weekly over email they’re making progress in negotiations, but recycled their usual statement when asked about the Orlando location, sharing they prefer to have a “direct relationship” with their employees, whom they call partners. Such language (“direct relationship”) is commonly used by employers opposed to union drives.

    “At Starbucks we believe that our direct relationship as partners is core to the experiences we create in our stores, and we respect our partners’  rights to have a choice on the topic of unions,” a company spokesperson shared in a statement. “We are committed to delivering on our promise to offer a bridge to a better future to all Starbucks partners.”

    When pressed for a response specifically to the allegations of discrimination and racism at the Orlando store, a spokesperson for the multibillion-dollar Seattle-based corporation, Jay Go Guasch, said: “We expect all partners to treat one another and our customers with dignity and respect, and our policies strictly prohibit any discriminatory, threatening or retaliatory behavior directed toward others.”

    Filing a petition for a union election requires gathering signed cards of support for unionization from at least 30 percent of employees, although union organizers typically recommend gathering cards from at least double that prior to filing a petition — mostly as a way to prepare for the potential impact of employer intimidation or retaliation, a common occurrence during union drives.

    One worker at a Starbucks in Winter Park on Park Avenue alleged back in 2022 that they and their co-workers were themselves facing threatening messages from Starbucks over their union activity, and workers at the store ultimately voted against unionization.

    Organizing in Southern states like Florida can be a more daunting endeavor, since Southern states generally have lower rates of union membership and labor unions that have fewer resources and power, in part due to anti-union laws like right-to-work, which financially strap unions and diminish workers’ ability to collectively advocate for better wages and working conditions.

    In Florida, just 6.1 percent of workers have union representation, yet public support for unions nationally has steadily been growing over the past decade. Across the state, workers at nine other Starbucks locations have already voted to unionize in recent years, including locations in Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Oviedo, Miami, and more recently in Tampa and Clearwater.

    At the Orlando store, workers can soon expect the National Labor Relations Board to set a date for their union election, provided there are no objections from Starbucks.

    Then, workers will have the chance to democratically vote whether they want to join the union. Abdellatif said a majority of workers at her location — 90 percent — are in support of forming a union. The rest, she said, “are the ones being pressured by leadership.”

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  • Starbucks workers union asks for community support this weekend in fight for a fair contract

    Starbucks workers union asks for community support this weekend in fight for a fair contract

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    Photo by McKenna Schueler/Orlando Weekly

    Courtney Thompson (left) stands on the picket line with fellow Starbucks workers at Central Florida’s only unionized Starbucks on March 22, 2023.

    Unionized Starbucks workers across the country, and right here in the Orlando area, are calling for community support this weekend, asking the public to visit local union stores and wear red to support workers’ fight for a fair union contract.

    “As we continue making progress toward our contracts with the company, union Starbucks workers are asking for your help!” the union wrote on a webpage promoting the event.

    “During Red for Bread Weekend (July 26-29, Friday through Monday), stand in solidarity with us by stopping by your local union shop, wearing something red, grabbing a beverage (or free water) under the name ‘UNION STRONG,’ and sharing some words of encouragement with baristas who are more than RED-dy for a collective bargaining agreement!” the page reads.

    The Orlando metro area, while suffering no shortage of Starbucks locations (in addition to other locally owned favorites like Foxtail, Lineage and Drunken Monkey) currently has just one unionized Starbucks, located at 305 E. Mitchell Hammock Road in Oviedo.

    Workers there, in a historic victory for the region, became the first Starbucks workers in Central Florida to unionize back in 2022, although they have since recently been joined by baristas at another Starbucks location in Tampa. A wave of organizing within the chain first took the U.S. by storm in 2021, when workers at a Starbucks in Buffalo, New York became the first to successfully unionize with the labor union Workers United.

    Since then, more than 470 locations and 10,500 Starbucks workers across 45 states and the District of Columbia have unionized, inspiring workers for other retail and service employers — like Trader Joe’s and Amazon — to apply the same grassroots energy to their own efforts.

    Clay Blastic, a shift supervisor at the union Starbucks in Oviedo, told Orlando Weekly their location has suffered turnover recently (not uncommon in the industry) and that those new to the store — and new to the union — would welcome a show of support.

    “This community has had our back in this long fight from the election to today, and I hope we can continue the work and support as [we] fight in contract negotiations,” Blastic told Orlando Weekly in a text. “They’ve been invaluable in giving us the support to keep going.”

    Baristas at unionized Starbucks locations have been in what has been, in the past, an aggressive fight with their employer — a multibillion-dollar coffee giant — to reach an agreement on a union contract.

    Starbucks has been accused in hundreds of complaints with the federal labor board of committing unfair labor practices — essentially, violations of federal labor law. It has poured hefty resources into lawyers from notoriously anti-union law firms like Littler Mendelson. A number of pro-union workers were allegedly fired by Starbucks for their union activity, while others have reported other forms of retaliation for supporting the union, such as being scheduled fewer hours or facing discipline for wearing pro-union pins on the job — all common tactics of union busters.

    However, the tide shifted in what was considered by both sides to be a major breakthrough this February, when the union and Starbucks agreed to begin talks on a foundational framework for union contracts. Even President Joe Biden weighed in on the announcement, offering his support.

    “Today, I applaud workers and Starbucks for announcing a framework that respects the right to form and join unions. When workers win, we all win,” Biden shared in a post on X.

    Starbucks workers are largely advocating for better scheduling and staffing practices, quality healthcare benefits, a living wage that allows baristas to afford to live in their communities, and a commitment from Starbucks to have workers’ backs when they face harassment from customers.

    According to the union, both parties have held monthly bargaining sessions for contract talks, with more than 400 workers from unionized locations involved. Workers involved are democratically elected by their fellow coworkers to represent them in contract talks as delegates or caucus members, according to the union.

    “Starbucks and Workers United met last week in Dallas, Texas to continue advancing the framework intended to be the foundation of each single-store contract,” the union shared in a statement with Orlando Weekly. “The two days of positive negotiations advanced non-economic measures within that framework. We look forward to continuing negotiations, and our goal remains to reach ratified contracts for partners in represented stores by the end of this year.”

    Blastic, the Starbucks worker at the Oviedo location, told Orlando Weekly they have already heard from a couple of local organizations that plan to show up this weekend to support them, including Central Florida Jobs with Justice and the Orlando chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America — both of which have similarly demonstrated solidarity with the union in the past.

    Readers can make their own pledge to visit their local union Starbucks this weekend here. A map of unionized locations is available on the union’s website.

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  • Florida Gov. DeSantis, Attorney General Moody announce state investigation of Starbucks’ DEI practices

    Florida Gov. DeSantis, Attorney General Moody announce state investigation of Starbucks’ DEI practices

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    Florida Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody wants the state agency in charge of investigating violations of the Florida Civil Rights Act to inspect Starbucks’ diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.

    Gov. Ron DeSantis and Moody announced the complaint against Starbucks on Wednesday during the governor’s guest host stint on “The Sean Hannity Show.”

    “We’re going to make sure that in Florida this quota or hiring and programs that cause every employee to determine whether they are the problem based on the color of their skin, whether that violates Florida’s anti-discrimination laws, and so the matter will be investigated,” Moody said on the radio show.

    “I’m proud to report that we are referring the matter officially to the Florida Commission on Human Relations for full investigation of Starbucks and these practices,” she added.

    Moody’s complaint to the commission comes after a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed in March that the 2023 Stop Woke Act was unconstitutional when applied to businesses. That law aimed to prevent companies from requiring employees to attend DEI training.

    “One of the things that bill said was, ‘Look, this is actionable. If they’re doing this in a corporation, you don’t have to sit there and self-flagellate yourself because of your skin color. You have a right to opt out,’” DeSantis said.

    “For some reason, the court said that that was a violation of the company’s First Amendment right, even though they can say whatever they want. We’re just saying you had the right to opt out. But we didn’t even think that that was necessary. We believe that’s what the law is, anyways.”

    Bonuses

    In the four-page complaint, Moody argues that the company’s goal of inclusivity for people of color in 30% of corporate roles and 40% of retail and manufacturing roles by 2025 violates federal and Florida civil rights acts. More than 48% of employees at Starbucks are white, 31.7% are Hispanic, 8.1% are Black, and 5.9% are Asian, according to the company’s most recently released data.

    Additionally, Moody pointed to ties between the diversity goals and executives’ bonuses to claim the company has racial quotas. According to the Nation’s Restaurant News, 7.5% of Starbucks executive bonus consideration was tied to diversity in 2023.

    But the state commission, which the Legislature established in 1969, doesn’t represent whoever filed the complaint or the employer. Instead, the agency describes itself as an “impartial fact-finder” that offers mediation opportunities.

    Starbucks did not respond to request for comment at the time of publication.

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  • Another Long Island Starbucks files a petition to unionize | Long Island Business News

    Another Long Island Starbucks files a petition to unionize | Long Island Business News

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    Workers at the Starbucks store in Port Jefferson are the latest of the chain’s Long Island employees to start the process to unionize. 

    The Port Jefferson Starbucks workers were joined by workers at a Starbucks in downtown Brooklyn in filing petitions with the National Labor Relations Board Monday to unionize with Starbucks Workers United. 

    The filings come on the heels of a first week of bargaining between the company and the union, according to a union statement. 

    The Port Jefferson Starbucks employees issued the following statement: “Unionization could offer a platform for fostering open dialogue, ensuring fair treatment, and collaboratively addressing issues that affect employees. Partners are used as advertisement pieces, although that is not how we’re treated in reality. Our hours are constantly cut, in spite of up selling our products and periods of high sales volume. This is why we want to organize.”  

    Olivia Donnelly, who works at the Starbucks in Port Jefferson, said: “I believe a union will provide feelings of security and safety for partners. It will allow partners’ voices to be heard and have their issues resolved.” 

    Five weeks ago, employees at the Starbucks in Garden City and the Village of Westbury elected to join Starbucks Workers United. 

    At the time, Starbucks spokesperson Rachel Wall said in an emailed statement that the company is committed to delivering on its promise to offer a bridge to a better future to all Starbucks partners.  

    “On February 27, the company and Workers United agreed to begin discussions on a foundational framework designed to help achieve ratified bargaining agreements, resolve certain litigation and address other issues,” Wall said in the statement. “We are eager to reach ratified agreements in 2024 for stores that have already voted for union representation. We respect the rights of our partners to organize and bargain collectively, and we are eager to reach ratified agreements in 2024 for represented stores.” 

    Since the union movement for Starbucks workers began with a successful vote at a store in Buffalo in Dec. 2021, there are now more than 10,000 union Starbucks workers in more than 415 union stores in 43 states and Washington D.C.   

    The Starbucks union is an affiliate of Philadelphia-based Workers United. 

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  • Orlando-area union Starbucks workers weigh in on Supreme Court case

    Orlando-area union Starbucks workers weigh in on Supreme Court case

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    The U.S. Supreme Court today is set to hear oral arguments in a legal battle between Starbucks, the multibillion-dollar retail coffee chain that moonlights as a rather aggressive union-buster, and the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency that oversees private-sector labor relations.

    At the heart of the issue is the federal labor board’s authority to order Starbucks to rehire seven workers at a location in Memphis, Tennessee, that Starbucks is accused of firing in retaliation for organizing a union at their store.

    The so-called “Memphis 7” were fired just days after announcing their intent to unionize with Starbucks Workers United, in what the workers say was a violation of their federally protected right to organize.

    Starbucks, however, has claimed the workers were fired due to violating company policy by reopening a store after hours without consent and allowing journalists into the store.

    The NLRB, an agency that’s been inundated with allegations of unfair labor practices against Starbucks, hasn’t bought into the company’s explanation.

    While an investigation into the firings is ongoing, a federal judge approved a request by the agency to order that the seven workers be reinstated. That was later upheld by an appeals court. Starbucks, however, has disputed the standard that allowed for the labor board to order that the company offer reinstatement to the workers.

    All in all, at least 420 Starbucks locations across the United States, representing over 10,000 workers, have unionized since December 2021, including a single location in the Central Florida region — at the 305 E. Mitchell Hammock Road store in Oviedo.

    Baristas at that store overwhelmingly voted to unionize in June 2022, citing a desire to advocate for higher wages — to keep up with the region’s higher cost of living — in addition to a credit card tipping option and other improvements to working conditions.

    Roy Sistovaris, one of the earliest union activists at the store, previously told us that he and his co-workers were inspired by the Starbucks unionization wave spreading across the country, even early on.

    “I just looked at one of my co-workers, and I was like, what if I just sent them [the union] an email? What if I just did it?” he recalled. “And she was like, ‘Hell yeah, man. Just do it.’ And I was like, man, whatever. So I did.”

    Back then, just 70 Starbucks locations were unionized. Now, the number of unionized locations has more than tripled (with one of the more recent victories being at a Starbucks location in Miami).

    And that’s despite frustrating delays in negotiating an initial union contract (also known as a collective bargaining agreement) that Starbucks has been accused of prolonging in an effort to weaken workers’ support for unionization.

    Clay Blastic, a shift supervisor at the union Starbucks in Oviedo, told Orlando Weekly over text on Tuesday that he hopes the Supreme Court “makes the right decision” in the Memphis case. “But I’m not holding my breath,” he added.

    Blastic also confirmed that — like other unionized stores across the country — workers at the Oviedo Starbucks did finally get their credit card tipping option back last week, after having that option formally rolled out at the store, before being taken away.

    Essentially, this system means if someone wants to tip, they can do so when paying with a credit card, as opposed to only having a cash tipping option.

    Back in May 2022, Starbucks caved to pressure from their employees to roll out a credit card tipping system at their nonunion stores, but claimed that they couldn’t offer this to union stores. Their argument was that such a thing would have to be negotiated through the collective bargaining process (which at that point, they were stalling).

    click to enlarge Courtney Thompson (left) stands on the picket line with fellow Starbucks workers at Central Florida's only unionized Starbucks on March 22, 2023. - photo by McKenna Schueler/Orlando Weekly

    photo by McKenna Schueler/Orlando Weekly

    Courtney Thompson (left) stands on the picket line with fellow Starbucks workers at Central Florida’s only unionized Starbucks on March 22, 2023.

    The National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint last March, alleging that withholding that option from union workers was illegal. A federal judge in September agreed.

    According to the union, Starbucks just last month began (finally) implementing that at stores like Blastic’s (which, per the workers, actually did have that option until management remembered that they were union or something and took it away).

    Blastic is one of the few union Starbucks workers who’s been chosen to represent unionized Florida locations in the collective bargaining process after literally years at this point of both the union and the company pointing fingers at each other over delays. In a text message, he told Orlando Weekly he’s flying up to Washington, D.C., today to kick things off.

    Despite the legal battle, he said he hopes the company’s announced plans to begin bargaining with the union and to roll out credit card tipping at union stores is “a sign of good faith.”

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    McKenna Schueler

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  • Two more Long Island Starbucks vote to join union | Long Island Business News

    Two more Long Island Starbucks vote to join union | Long Island Business News

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    Workers at two more Starbucks stores on Long Island voted Wednesday to join the union. 

    Employees at the Starbucks in Garden City elected to join the Starbucks Workers United union by a vote of seven to three, while the vote in the election at the Starbucks in the Village of Westbury was six to five, according to a union statement. 

    Both Long Island stores filed Feb. 20 to hold union elections, the same day that 19 other Starbucks stores nationwide also filed, the union said. 

    “Winning a union, for me, means more decision making with the partners’ experience in mind. It will allow us to determine what policies and practices will best help our business flourish, while giving us the tools and resources to accomplish our work without undue hardship,” Savannah Benatar, an employee at the Westbury Starbucks, said in the statement. “Doing so will protect our interests as workers, but also allow us to shift back our focus to the main reason we work as baristas: connecting over coffee with our community.” 

    Leeana Lee, who works at the Starbucks in Garden City, said joining the union represents “a pivotal moment in championing workers’ rights” and ensuring fair treatment within the company. 

    “It signifies a positive shift towards creating a more inclusive and empowered workforce where we actually have a voice,” she said in the statement. “Ultimately, this victory gives me hope that it can go back to being somewhere I enjoy working at again.” 

    In an emailed statement, Starbucks spokesperson Rachel Wall said the company is committed to delivering on its promise to offer a bridge to a better future to all Starbucks partners. 

    “On February 27, the company and Workers United agreed to begin discussions on a foundational framework designed to help achieve ratified bargaining agreements, resolve certain litigation and address other issues,” Wall said in the statement. “We are eager to reach ratified agreements in 2024 for stores that have already voted for union representation. We respect the rights of our partners to organize and bargain collectively, and we are eager to reach ratified agreements in 2024 for represented stores.” 

    Since the union movement for Starbucks workers began with a successful vote at a store in Buffalo in Dec. 2021, there are now more than 10,000 union Starbucks workers in more than 415 union stores in 43 states and Washington D.C.  

    The Starbucks union is an affiliate of Philadelphia-based Workers United. 

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    David Winzelberg

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  • NLRB files lawsuit alleging retaliation of workers at LI Starbucks | Long Island Business News

    NLRB files lawsuit alleging retaliation of workers at LI Starbucks | Long Island Business News

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    The National Labor Relations Board filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday claiming that Starbucks retaliated against unionizing workers at the chain’s store in Great Neck. 

    The suit alleges that workers trying to unionize at the Great Neck Starbucks were threatened by management with loss of income, loss of opportunities for promotion, loss of holiday time and benefits. The store’s lead organizer, Joselyn Chuquillanqui, was fired in July and the lawsuit comes after the NLRB found cause in several charges of unfair labor practices that the union filed against Starbucks at the Great Neck location. 

    Workers at the Great Neck Starbucks unanimously filed for a union on February 10, 2022, with all of the employees at the time signing union cards, according to a statement from Starbucks Workers United. The store lost its union election in a five to six vote on May 3 and the union immediately filed objections to the election results. 

    “We deserve the right to unionize our workplaces and to have safe working conditions without dealing with fear and retaliation,” Chuquillanqui said in the statement. “I am glad the NLRB was able to file this lawsuit and that this is going to court because we need to send the message that Starbucks cannot continue their union busting. It proves that what they did to me actually happened and Starbucks can’t just erase it because they want to.” 

    There are now more than 260 unionized Starbucks locations around the country, including four on Long Island. None currently have a contract. 

    The union movement for Starbucks workers began with a successful vote at a store in Buffalo in Dec. 2021. The Starbucks union is an affiliate of Philadelphia-based Workers United. 

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    David Winzelberg

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