PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Starbucks workers at a Center City store are on a 24-hour strike because they say the company has been retaliating against them after they voted to unionize last month.
A few of the employees joined union organizers outside the coffee shop at 12th and Walnut streets around 6 a.m. Friday. The store remained closed as the group held up signs, chanted and walked the picket line.
“They’ve been withholding promotions from us. They’ve been withholding the new benefits that have been announced this summer. We haven’t been getting our raises,” said Kat Pfligler, a supervisor.
Pfligler and other employees said they want their store manager to be fired and the company to negotiate with them in good faith.
“We’ve had one-on-one conversations. We’ve had group conversations. We’ve had entire store meetings with both the manager and her boss, and we have just been dismissed,” Pfligler said. “The only thing left to do is what we can, and that’s withhold our labor.”
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The 12th and Walnut location is one of four Starbucks stores in Philadelphia that voted to unionize in June. Many other stores around the country have been a part of this movement, leading to a contentious relationship with the company.
Throughout the process, there have been allegations on both sides — including union-busting claims from employees and officials with Starbucks Workers United. The company claims there has been voter intimidation from the union to pressure workers.
Starbucks has been encouraging employees to vote against unionizing. They even created a website explaining their position, one.starbucks.com.
A Starbucks spokesperson told KYW Newsradio, “Starbucks has great partners and we value their contributions. We respect our partners’ right to engage in any legally protected activity or protest without retaliation. We are grateful for each partner who continues to work and we always do our best to listen to the concerns of all our partners.”
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