With the courageous Starbucks union movement continuing to forge ahead despite all of the relentless intimidation tactics by the corporation, Starbucks Workers United (SWU) is calling on people in the US to "Adopt a store" to show solidarity on Monday, August 7.
The stores they want adopted are non-union ones. What does "adopting" mean?
"On August 7th, we’re asking Starbucks customers and allies to “adopt” a non-union store to support workers in their communities. Adopting a store simply means holding a small flyering action to engage customers and passerby in the campaign through in-person connections."
As SWU notes: "Starbucks has built its business on claims of being a progressive company. Yet its union busting campaign doesn’t live up to these proclaimed values. Thousands of Starbucks workers across the country have organized against Starbucks’ union busting tactics – now it’s time for customers and allies to take a stand and demand that Starbucks becomes the company they claim to be."
So far over 340 Starbucks locations have unionized out of around 3,000 locations across the United States. Starbucks has refused to negotiate in any meaningful way with workers who have voted to unionize and continues to resist unionization.
According to SWU "Despite the power that workers have built and our eagerness to engage with the company, Starbucks continues to use whatever tactics they can think of to get in the way of workers’ efforts to make improvements in our workplace." As a result they say it is "time for Starbucks customers and allies to join the fight".
In fact SWU workers have organized a national bus tour to bring attention to this "flagrant" union busting.
SWU says that "August 7th is just the first of a series of national days of action to activate customers and allies to hold Starbucks accountable and demand the company lives up to their progressive values. Together, we’ll send the message that we won’t let up until Starbucks quits union busting and starts respecting worker rights!"
You can sign-up to adopt a Starbucks store near you at this link!
