CARBONDALE (WSIL) -- On Friday, hourly workers at the Carbondale Starbucks announced their intention to petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for a union election.Â
Several other locations around the country have made the same move in recent months.Â
According to Workers United, "an overwhelming majority of eligible employees at this location have signed union authorization cards."
In a letter e-mailed early Friday to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and signed by the store’s union supporters, Carbondale workers wrote,
“Baristas and Shift Supervisors do every bit of physical labor from which you profit. In return, you see us as your biggest and most inconvenient expense. Starbucks customers everywhere are being made to believe that we’re “understaffed� when these skeleton crews are very deliberate� It is not the fault of partners that Starbucks Corporation has found itself beholden to a slew of insatiable shareholders, and each resource you siphon out of this business to feed them, takes quality with it. Each labor cut bears another sloppy Frappuccino. Each price increase begets another irate customer. This company is deteriorating rapidly, and the customers see it every day� Our Starbucks is a community store. How can we serve the community of Carbondale if we lack the resources to serve ourselves?... You may be Starbucks Corporation�, but we are Starbucks.�
Barista Ken LeBlanc expressed what it means for their store to file for a union election,
“Going public is a weight off our shoulders. We can finally speak openly about our efforts and don’t have to feel like we’re doing something wrong, when all we’re doing is trying to enact positive change for ourselves and our fellow partners. I feel more united as a team than ever before. Starbucks Corporation literally couldn't stop this movement if they tried. The hundreds of stores before us paved the way for us, and we’re doing the same for those who will follow.�
