Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Starbucks continues its union-busting efforts across the nation, but especially in the Buffalo region with the recent firing of over 10 union leaders. The firings were believed to be in retaliation for their organizing efforts.
In response to the recent firings, Buffalo Starbucks workers and labor and community allies conducted a city-wide informational picket of the 20 Starbucks stores on Tuesday to notify customers of Starbucks’ union-busting campaign.
"We're telling Starbucks we're not going to accept the union busting," said Casey Moore from Starbucks Workers United, who was picketing outside the Starbucks location on Delaware Avenue at Chippewa Street. "We're letting customers know what's going on, because ultimately, Buffalo is a union town, and we're not going to accept these retaliatory firings any longer. Enough is enough."
The final straw that broke the camel's back for many Buffalo baristas was the recent firing of Sam Amato, a 13-year partner at the Sheridan and Bailey store, and Allegra Anastasi, an eight-year partner at the Delaware-Chippewa location.
"We decided to go on strike because just like Sam and Allegra, in Buffalo, the Elmwood location was one of the first stores to have a union leader that was fired. That was Cassie Fleischer back in the spring," said Elmwood Avenue barista Natalie Wittmeyer on Tuesday. "It means a lot to us, as the first union location in Buffalo and in the country, to come out and show some solidarity for the people who have been unjustly fired by the company. This was really important for the partners who work at Elmwood Starbucks to come out and have this show of solidarity, and get the information out there to the people."
Starbucks is conducting these union-busting efforts while negotiations are still ongoing between the company and union leaders with Starbucks Workers United. While this situation seems to be getting uglier by the day, that's not stopping the efforts of the union leaders in this fight. Moore believes that while this may carry on for the long-term, Starbucks Workers United will come out on top.
"We are in the contract fight right now. I think we knew it wasn't going to be easy, but we're still out here fighting," she said. "Ultimately, we're trying to make Starbucks a better company, at the end of the day. This is also a company that says it has progressive values, that says it's a different kind of company. So we're not going away anytime soon, and Starbucks is, honestly, just causing harm to their brand and to their businesses by firing long-term workers, who are the ones responsible for making this the store it is today and the company it is today."
While Tuesday's informational picket will partly inform the public of what's happening with Starbucks, the workers picketing are also hoping to send a message to the company.
"They need to re-hire the people that they've unjustly fired for union activity. The union leaders that have been unjustly fired are people that have given a lot of their lives - eight years, 13 years, in some cases - to this company, and they deserve to be treated with respect and fairness under the law," Wittmeyer said. "Today, in particular, the day after Labor Day, we're coming out to show Starbucks that the community stands behind us, and to raise awareness within the community that these issues are going on within Starbucks that even a company with a progressive reputation is not immune from unjust and unfair labor practices."
It was announced on Thursday by Starbucks that Laxman Narasimhan will join Starbucks on Oct. 1 after relocating from the company's head offices in London, England to their main headquarters in Seattle, Washington. He will work closely with Starbucks’ interim CEO Howard Schultz through April 1, when he will assume the CEO role and join the company’s board.
As Starbucks gets ready for a change in the chain of command, union leaders are hopeful that it will result in some positive change for the company in the long run.
"Howard Schultz has just launched a scorched Earth union-busting campaign across the country, so we're hopeful that this new CEO, we can work with him, we want to work with him. We want to reach an agreement," Moore said. "I think that's best for the workers and the company, so we're cautiously optimistic, I would say."
The National Labor Relations Board is currently prosecuting Starbucks for over 200 violations of labor law in Western New York alone, including seven instances where the NLRB is alleging that Starbucks illegally fired workers. Region 3 of the NLRB issued a second official Complaint accusing Starbucks of threatening to close down the Elmwood Avenue store, denying workers' transfers, and retaliating against workers for the union activity.