#tobeapartner

Upton Sinclair tries to go up to the counter, but the Starbucks is closed. Starbucks fired all their workers from this location for unionizing.

Hi everyone! It’s been a while. We here at Literary Starbucks have followed the news about Starbucks workers’ fight to unionize, and we want to use the platform we have to support them and uplift their voices. 

Starbucks workers across the nation have been unionizing their workplaces to ensure a more democratic, safe, and equitable environment for all employees. The first United States Starbucks to successfully unionize its workers was in Buffalo, NY, in December 2021. Since then, more Starbucks locations all over the country have voted to unionize!

Predictably, Starbucks is not thrilled about this, and has been actively union-busting. As linked above in the Upton Sinclair post, there are many examples of Starbucks closing locations that voted to unionize or firing pro-union workers, but Starbucks has gone even further. They have cut hours for pro-union employees, increased managerial presence in stores in order to monitor union activities, and, recently and abhorrently, claimed that Starbucks will support its workers who are seeking abortion services—but only if they aren’t part of a union.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has “accused Starbucks of more than 200 labor law violations spanning over two dozen types of unfair labor practices.” In addition to being morally despicable, Starbucks’ union-busting practices are actually illegal.

Literary Starbucks supports workers’ right to unionize and stands with the Starbucks partners who are unionized and/or fighting to unionize. We condemn Starbucks’ anti-union position. 

To read more about Starbucks employees’ efforts to unionize, please check out Starbucks Workers United. Headquartered in Buffalo, NY, SB Workers United boasts 180+ stores unionized already. Check out their FAQ for more information!

Here are ways you can support Starbucks workers’ unionization efforts across the USA:

Donate to the Pacific Northwest Starbucks Workers United (PNWSBWU) to, in their own words, “provide financial relief to Starbucks workers in the Pacific Northwest for income [they] lose as [they] take the collective actions needed to win the workplace [they] deserve.”

Donate to the employees of the College Ave Starbucks in Ithaca, NY, since Starbucks closed this unionized location!

Donate to Black Union Leaders in Memphis, TN, to support fired Black union leaders.

Sign the No Contract, No Coffee pledge to support the unionizing workers!

Shop the SB Workers United store! All proceeds directly support Starbucks employees.

SUPPORT STRIKERS! For example, a location in Buffalo went on strike yesterday! 

Attend a local “sip-in” rally at Starbucks to support unionization efforts. Here’s an example of a call for a sip-in—check out your local Starbucks stores to see if there is one coming up near you! And make sure you tip big!

Follow SB Workers United on Instagram for the latest news and updates.

Follow SB Workers United on Twitter for the latest news and updates. We pulled most of the donation links directly from that Twitter, so that’s the best place to check to see how you can best help!

Hell, follow us on Twitter as well. We’ll be retweeting stuff from @SBWorkersUnited, @VentiSolidarity, @JortstheCat, and other pro-union accounts to help raise awareness for Starbucks employees working to unionize.

The baristas were always an essential part of the Literary Starbucks mythos. Help support the real-life heroes working in Starbucks locations across the nation today!

In solidarity,

Before my shift ended I had to make a caramel apple spice for DT and it dawned on me that would make a bombalicious frap. So here we go!

🍎 CARAMEL APPLE SPICE FRAPP 🍎