0:00

hello and welcome to

0:02

a special bubba bonus episode

0:04

of chapo today,

0:06

we have convened, a special roundtable

0:09

discussions of efforts to unionize a

0:11

starbucks, classic establishment

0:14

that brings the taste of the pulitzer every

0:17

neighborhood in every corner of the

0:19

world and to do that, we have

0:21

brought in a team of three union

0:24

organizers spending our great

0:26

nation, so please welcome

0:28

to the show are we have big from buffalo

0:31

say have x hey we have a lisa from

0:33

oklahoma city and

0:35

, from portland oregon hey

0:38

i'm also here as well i oh yeah

0:40

we'll is also here we're not going to pull a classic matt

0:43

style interview where forty minutes

0:45

later the and minutes into the episode yes

0:47

says one word or so yes will

0:49

it's yours well so am i just gonna

0:51

want to start this by the

0:54

thing i notice a very broad prompt a could you guys

0:56

each kind of fill us in on how the either as

0:58

asian effort is going in each of your

1:00

locations both your specific source

1:03

a yorkie adding kind of the city location

1:05

that your base out of in general i was are with

1:07

you

1:08

okay so i'm from the

1:10

east robinson location in buffalo new

1:12

york we were than nine

1:15

store in the city to unionize an

1:18

and we had ten

1:20

a couple weeks after so buffalo

1:22

half unionize and

1:25

it's going really well the

1:28

fire me about two months ago

1:30

it into time ago the other than that it's going

1:33

not going to happen but my

1:35

coworkers have done a great job of like carrying

1:37

on the union at my store than

1:40

fighting off the tactics that they doing now

1:42

that i'm going on and then buffalo

1:44

the whole is doing really well we're very cohesive

1:47

very the are suffering other planning

1:49

on of actions

1:52

lisa

1:53

hey phil i'm from oklahoma city

1:55

and and one of the three unionize stores

1:57

in oklahoma city and we're

1:59

the

1:59

first one to in organized, but

2:02

we were the last to when our disputed

2:06

and contested i think about

2:08

got five of our ballads

2:09

and so it took like the nlrb

2:11

starbucks to

2:14

get those but

2:16

we finally when our election and so right

2:18

now we're just kind of like working on getting

2:20

reorganized and dealing

2:23

with directors

2:24

you know, union-busting

2:26

and what not and then in oklahoma it's

2:28

pretty it's like org so

2:30

we're really hoping that will pick up it

2:32

as a nice going pretty well if we haven't

2:34

had any severe union busting

2:36

so far yeah great and couldn't

2:39

yeah so i organized eve first

2:41

shop and portland when the problem naturals

2:43

and be for them the back

2:45

in february and was

2:47

pushed out shortly thereafter and

2:50

a coordinated like regional organizing efforts

2:52

of this point

2:54

source completely fucked we affectionately

2:56

call it the non union union shop

2:59

in portland ah they eventually

3:01

won their accounts three months later

3:04

ah but all of the rest of our source on a much

3:06

better position so and just in

3:08

general could you guys maybe walk us

3:10

through a little bit of what it

3:12

was like going from the union being

3:15

just an idea that one

3:17

of you had and your source too going

3:19

to an actual vote in the stores

3:21

a you worked at like how that it will yeah

3:23

you were able to develop the idea how we were able to

3:26

get your or partners as they're called organize

3:28

around you and out we're able to a

3:30

petition for a for an actual vote on

3:33

buffalo we knew about it

3:36

and we knew about it before it went public

3:38

i'm because buffalo was one of the was

3:40

were the first unionized starbucks was

3:42

what i yeah yeah read on that

3:44

went to have a yeah we all knew about it

3:46

i'm when the

3:47

our did which was the first when you almond

3:49

with gonna go public with it and

3:52

a lot of us were really scared so

3:55

my store was actually probably the and

3:57

for you answer and buffalo for a very long time

4:00

then

4:01

in new york when obama crime

4:03

started getting really bad we had our mask landed

4:05

reinstated and corporate told

4:07

us that we weren't allowed to enforce

4:09

it customers were coming

4:11

into the cafe not wearing a mask on

4:13

and we have a lot of new no compromise partners it work

4:16

though

4:17

that kind of started with

4:19

the and one of every star

4:21

reaching out to the union and making

4:24

them take us as it enters and

4:26

killing them about at liberal

4:28

who then a like

4:30

the

4:30

what are you trying to do here what's

4:32

going on how do i do this

4:35

then i went back to my sore

4:37

than it was buffalo than

4:39

hit so hard with the union busting that it

4:41

was very easy to like look at a coworker

4:43

after really bad day or a manager

4:45

think i'm just absolutely horrible the

4:47

of and really do you

4:49

might want to buy a new and card because like

4:51

we both know that we deserve a lot better than this

4:54

and once we started signing we

4:57

filed within i'm like probably a

4:59

month month and a half of me starting to

5:01

collect cards

5:02

the other two of you guys did you

5:04

find that the added pressures put on

5:06

by go there were a big motivator for

5:08

for moving forward

5:10

yeah absolutely fisher that

5:13

i'm why i one of the reasons i

5:15

wanted to organize and my coworker who

5:17

actually like reached out to starbucks

5:18

workers united an illusion

5:21

they reached out right after on

5:23

a partner that stick with kobe it and

5:25

we get like five days of late

5:27

quarantine pay and then after that

5:29

see don't have symptoms are expected to come back to

5:31

work on that they are still the positive

5:34

on the rapid test which meant the rec contagious

5:36

and so they needed someone to cover their ships because

5:38

they still technically like had to commence

5:40

and though that was like that and i guess

5:42

like the final straw motivator that meet them reach

5:45

out m and i

5:47

quit kind of after the pandemic the

5:49

pandemic back to starbucks because i'm

5:51

i didn't feel safe working there anymore and

5:53

vaccinated arm and so

5:56

yeah that was a big reason and it's

5:58

still a big reason as with

5:59

related is even more of a production

6:02

it was a similar for us as well i'm

6:04

a d s a members so i've always had the idea

6:07

that we need a union at starbucks but was obviously

6:09

very inspired by buffalo and then

6:13

arizona in boston as well that

6:15

really the the thing that led

6:18

to all of us start talking about it at my shop

6:20

was we had like

6:22

really bad winter season and the northwest

6:26

and we knew that there be a lot of snow

6:28

and ice coming up and our boss sent out

6:30

that my mouth and are tips that we the

6:33

it it said like you need a plan a

6:35

b and c for getting to work like if you

6:38

don't wanna drive you can do better or

6:40

less don't want to do that you

6:42

can take public transportation but then you need to

6:44

leave multiple hours early if

6:46

we're thera and if you don't want to do

6:48

that and you can stay over with with

6:50

your coworkers and car for this

6:53

is like in the middle of a huge spike and all

6:55

of us were but my already

6:57

uncomfortable with covered so it's like but that

7:00

very quickly got people interested and that

7:02

seventy percent a card signs than a couple

7:04

weeks make sure that your team of sled

7:06

dogs are well says taking

7:08

them out to work as if

7:11

you don't have cable winter weather here but we've been having

7:13

noted like pretty bad ice storms

7:15

like the polar vortex or whatever gets

7:18

into the negatives arm and thankfully we got

7:20

a few days off that like when like the highways

7:22

clear up even though the like neighborhoods

7:24

are still really awful weather

7:26

was still expected to come in and

7:29

it being oklahoma and oklahoma tornado

7:32

valley tornado stay

7:34

a couple months ago in april you're

7:36

getting tornado sirens on

7:38

and how to go into the bathroom to go hiking

7:40

and i was like okay we'll can relate go home because

7:42

there's like a lot more sense coming

7:44

and i just don't feel safe working and i was told

7:47

no we still have to like stay to seclude

7:49

the store up even though my car was just

7:51

sitting out in the parking my arm

7:54

in even after like the because a long line

7:56

of storm so even after the siren stop

7:59

there's still

7:59

more like tornado storm's coming

8:02

it's and we couldn't even like leave to go home

8:04

to like somewhere safer we still had to

8:06

say it were

8:06

i mean those are some pretty for found like

8:09

aha moments about like the

8:11

the first time thinking like hey we could probably

8:13

use a union here i mean just outside of just

8:15

you know typical complaints about you know management

8:17

really needs to be treating us better but

8:20

i'm i'm interested or quinton you mentioned that you're

8:22

at the same member like you can have always had the idea

8:24

that starbucks needs a union but i'm wondering a

8:26

before you guys started working at starbucks

8:29

what was your experience with

8:31

labor unions are your familiarity with organized

8:34

is this something that you are brought into

8:36

this job or is this something that you learned

8:38

i'm by experience or like because of the situation

8:40

created by the working conditions

8:43

and starbucks alicia cup ivan

8:46

they had experience with the unions

8:49

adult before the

8:51

, the twenty twenty campaign campaign

8:54

was volunteering with a bernie campaign ah

8:56

campaign since

8:59

you know it's funny i was like a tough a listener then

9:01

and your kept talking on getting people the organizer

9:03

like allow another whatever sylvan

9:05

do it and i'm you

9:07

know i kept organizing up intel the

9:11

super tuesday i'm but i will

9:13

say i'm learning how to talk

9:15

to at least strangers than about

9:17

something has to be passionate about and you

9:19

know like explaining why they needed a vote

9:21

this way and like why this will be better for them

9:24

ah i think that way like

9:26

a bit like a big learning opportunity

9:29

arm or exposure just kind of like learning

9:31

how to like when yeah i'm and

9:33

in the rest of canada slick learning on

9:36

the job

9:36

yeah i'm so similarly i amen

9:39

to labour through the bernie campaign i'm

9:42

coming to the essays are the running campaign came

9:44

into chapo through the barney campaign and

9:47

, did phone and text banking

9:49

and twenty funny i remember where

9:51

i was on super tuesday i was making phone

9:53

calls yeah i mean had absolutely

9:56

no experience or exposure

9:58

to labor unions the for any

10:00

of that and i most people i've talked

10:03

to within as be to be a year with the same

10:05

way as like we came to this through

10:07

bernie ah which is why it's

10:09

i really profound and surreal like

10:11

everytime i see him giving a speech

10:13

and he talks about starbucks workers the united or

10:16

he joined the picket line in boston i'm like what

10:18

what the fuck like this is so surreal

10:21

yeah

10:21

i'm my dad when

10:23

i was really young was a member

10:25

of electrical workers

10:27

you know sorry when i knew

10:29

a little bit about unions and then in college

10:32

i majored in history

10:34

so i used like still kind of knew about

10:36

i'm but i kind of thought

10:39

that they were like not outdated but i was

10:41

like oh you know like nobody really has a union

10:43

any more not in starbucks and

10:45

so

10:47

actually sitting down and talking with organizers

10:49

from elmwood like the first

10:51

real exposure i had to you

10:54

knew that wasn't

10:55

me being four years old or in

10:57

like a second and i guess like i'm

10:59

a i'm a i'm merely a starbucks patron

11:02

but like okay like before the consciousness

11:04

of like hey we need to organize to

11:06

organize a union to deal with some of these problems like

11:08

what does the experience of working at starbucks

11:10

like and what are some of the problems created

11:13

by management that like would would be

11:15

alleviated by a union you start

11:17

with vic a

11:19

okay yeah i

11:21

when i was fired i had been working at starbucks for five

11:23

years and i'm i think

11:25

that in

11:27

organizing people have asked me like like

11:29

oh like it's just the union busting right it's

11:32

an it's not on serve

11:34

x is never lived up

11:36

to the public image that it has

11:38

said it treats its employees well i

11:41

when it the campaign started

11:43

in buffalo

11:44

the whole that like

11:45

don't fall for the union like this is merely

11:47

a problem in buffalo and it's just because

11:49

you have really bad managers and we didn't know the

11:52

all of that it's happening but we're all here to fix it

11:54

now i

11:56

like seeing mesa in boston

11:59

was another connection push me to organize because

12:01

i knew that the problem

12:03

were really bad in buffalo but

12:05

it couldn't just be buffalo like a new it was

12:07

something wrong with the starbucks system i

12:10

had managers you know like insist

12:12

that we work sick

12:13

that managers put us in very

12:16

unsafe conditions and not care

12:18

literally all i'm i've been like

12:20

stuck in those terms of work and they tell me like if i

12:22

can get your you can get your and then they don't get there

12:24

there

12:28

a guy like the understaffing

12:30

some

12:30

the un two or three jobs

12:32

at one

12:33

the

12:35

they did you not care what

12:37

you do or what you go through i'm

12:40

as long as you hit the numbers and you hit

12:42

that drive through time that's all that's matters

12:44

to them and so like having the

12:46

union organizing restore it with

12:48

empowering for me to be able to be like

12:50

i'm like i'm organizing liquid are you going to you doing

12:52

on fire

12:54

my i felt like when i'm organizing

12:57

i like would walk up to my manager

12:59

and i was a you need to do that about as like

13:01

you need to do something about this immediately i'm

13:04

because

13:05

we all know our right now we'll walk

13:07

out like

13:08

so i i remember when

13:11

when oliver organizing kicked off i'm

13:13

a lot of our union siblings on the east coast

13:15

the buffalo people i i very much

13:17

remember the messaging being like we organize

13:19

because we love our job and

13:22

like no all respect

13:24

that is warranted definitely don't

13:26

agree with that like it's always started working

13:28

at starbucks customers are

13:30

awful managers are awful

13:33

the even remember like

13:34

after we went public and we started

13:36

noticing union busting an eyesore

13:38

some of my partners were like

13:40

the

13:41

yeah this , gotten any worse

13:44

they've always treated us like the like yeah

13:46

that's kind of the problem isn't

13:49

the union busting is just standard

13:51

behavior at standard at at like

13:53

starbucks which is at the

13:55

so insane when up like such a real progressive

13:57

company and howard schultz his sister progress

14:00

later on a it's ridiculous

14:02

and i think

14:04

a lot of us

14:06

we wanted to organize because we realized something

14:08

about starbucks there was a moment of radicalization

14:10

but i think for even more of a it

14:13

just always known that we needed this and

14:15

it was our partners our our comrades in buffalo

14:18

actually taking that leap and doing

14:20

i bet allowed us to do this i know that was the case

14:22

for me and br a lot of other people i've talked to

14:25

i agree i have been working at starbucks or four

14:27

years i remember like even before

14:29

buffalo the main thing i remember

14:31

thinking like i wish like i guess

14:33

it could be like a unionized shot up at at the time

14:35

out like it's like a fast food job like there's

14:38

so many like small different stores

14:40

like would be impossible to wake ever organized

14:42

like the faster

14:43

the streets and

14:44

the thing buffalo make it happen

14:46

and then even then i was still very doubtful

14:49

like i followed it like

14:50

the you know not after like bernie

14:53

you know listing here in and authors

14:55

atheists a member but i was like that oklahoma

14:57

like because

14:58

i would never happen here and so

15:01

the thing

15:03

it happen is really really

15:05

cool that as gonna say

15:07

our saw a little bit more

15:08

difficult to organize because

15:11

unlike a lot of your we had a really good

15:13

store manager and so people are like will i don't

15:15

feel exploited like our manager take care of

15:17

us i'm just scared of change and the

15:20

pavlik the current feel as well they're like one

15:22

just scared of we're losing our for manager her

15:24

quitting like

15:25

the lot of like

15:26

the game played all of your problems can be

15:28

fixed by a good manager which like that fab

15:31

a lot of them that lake or biggest problems

15:33

in my biggest problems were with you know

15:35

cool there were with like understaffing

15:37

like you said were like having a come

15:39

to work and stay at work during like

15:41

hazardous situations and

15:44

you know just like release like

15:46

slow benefit increases like the only reason

15:48

we got like fifteen dollar minimum wage increases

15:51

was because of hello organizing

15:54

other than that we would have stayed at like twelve years

15:55

then there's are all really interesting

15:58

stories

15:59

eerie here

15:59

the your how much the communication is

16:02

self reinforcing like the more

16:04

you get your about this from other people

16:06

around you the more you to talk and see from

16:08

other people cross country how much the

16:10

wows

16:12

people in different locations to make those

16:14

kinds of leafs

16:16

on the road but i'd like to move on to

16:18

kind of we're it is now where you guys

16:20

think the progress is going from

16:22

here what are the next steps so

16:25

as of today i think i saw

16:27

a neutered forty source of voted with eighty

16:29

percent of the votes coming in for majority

16:31

of union said that two hundred forty numbers the

16:33

eighty percent that

16:34

loaded majority union

16:36

in the boards the service

16:38

were hers board have filed thirty two complaints

16:40

compiling a one hundred and fifteen unfair labor

16:42

practices with the nlrb against

16:44

starbucks that so

16:47

the point where this is kind

16:49

of a mature movement like you have

16:51

a number of stores in this is like a going

16:54

concern that is happening and now you are actively

16:57

fighting against starbucks so i

16:59

was where do you guys see the

17:01

a the next steps for this the starbucks

17:03

workers are the woman and

17:06

where you stand out what you're looking for in the new

17:08

horizon of no the legal

17:10

challenges and the other

17:12

various challenges around

17:14

getting more stores on board

17:15

and after it out so

17:18

weirdly see things going on

17:20

i'm pretty excited

17:21

it is the sir are

17:24

national

17:24

bargaining as you know finishing up are like proposals

17:27

and whatnot and so i'm pretty

17:29

soon we're are actually kind of recently

17:31

we've been trying to get started to come to the table

17:33

like nationally so he can least come together for

17:35

like a national contracts and you

17:38

know after that have you know accommodations

17:40

for stores that need them or like other local

17:42

proposals that lexical right now since will

17:44

have the most bargaining power as like a collective

17:47

body the come together nationally

17:49

and so well right now starbucks is still refusing

17:52

and still wants to bargain i each store

17:54

on its own completely separately which

17:57

i does not give us a lot of

17:59

cliff

17:59

the power

18:01

the negotiations and so

18:04

i'm looking forward to

18:05

oh starbucks taking us more serious

18:08

i'm i mean i think starbucks

18:10

does take all of you very seriously but

18:12

not as a union i think it takes you ran

18:15

, a frat air i think they are the the

18:17

view this as a like you know a like a dagger

18:19

pointed at the heart of their entire their

18:22

entire mode of making profit then

18:24

he'd written ringing of what work

18:26

out of young people and in a making sure

18:28

that everyone can have a coffee anytime they want this

18:30

country i ever

18:31

seven i'd ah woe

18:33

organizing has slowed down i

18:36

do hope we can on

18:38

more tangible progress

18:41

happen it'll pick up an

18:43

especially in the nlrb cases i know we've

18:45

definitely slowed down the unaware of even

18:48

blu ray than it's already been extremely

18:50

underfunded and like funding in

18:52

the frozen and i'm also looking for

18:55

to i'm in our be rolling

18:57

onto like pretty important in case is because

18:59

right now one of the most effective union busting

19:01

tactic starbucks has done so far outside

19:04

of straight up firing people as offering

19:06

benefits to non union stores was leading

19:08

them to union stores in thing

19:10

that they can't do like they can't offer

19:12

benefits to them even if we like requesting

19:15

to like accept them because of their union

19:18

and right now day and rb has

19:20

filed a complaint thing that was illegal and

19:23

hard shot themselves like needs to

19:25

video like apologizing it which would be

19:27

really cool and so at a hearing

19:29

for that is october twenty fifth and i think

19:32

once you will see that way it

19:34

started doing is actually illegal like

19:36

we can say it's illegal but like if they're still doing

19:38

like they are they're offering a new

19:40

and of exclusionary benefits fight

19:43

i think seeing like actual legal progress will

19:45

help us a lot since alicia brought it up i

19:47

actually a have this story hill from

19:49

reuters this is just yesterday a

19:51

starbucks adds benefits for non

19:53

union us workers ahead of investor day

19:55

it just says starbucks announced a new student

19:57

loan repayment tools and a savings account

20:00

program for all us employees were not

20:02

union members the company said monday amid

20:04

a growing union drive and a soaring demand for

20:06

coffee i'm , like a

20:08

as you mentioned the another i'll be as you know

20:11

roundly just ruled that like this kind of

20:13

thing you cannot give benefits to nonunion

20:15

stories and deny them from union was

20:17

this is illegal the question is

20:19

but like starbucks is ignoring this

20:22

as they have ignored many many many

20:24

steps in this process it is just chosen to

20:27

just blackball you are entirely and i think the

20:29

question is now with this current supreme court

20:31

weather like corporate america like everything is

20:33

on the table now

20:35

and if they can just get something in the federal court

20:37

system they're going to roll the dice on that

20:39

every time yeah i absolutely agree

20:41

i was talking about this for the conrad embark on the other day

20:44

we absolutely think that they're

20:46

just gonna keep upping the ante and terms of

20:48

blatantly violating federal labor law because

20:51

the dream is to get the national labor

20:53

relations act in front of the supreme court i

20:55

mean if they can just got it at the federal level

20:58

through the courts that's what they're gonna do the

21:00

and i mean howard schultz is already

21:02

evil but i especially sell for

21:05

a just like playing into the strategy of

21:07

the right which is to just got regulation

21:10

at every level through the courts

21:13

i absolutely think that's the plan

21:15

yeah was particularly struck by i'm

21:17

this exact thing that the started

21:20

offering these bennett these non union

21:22

benefits pretty immediately

21:24

layer of like early in the spring early in the

21:26

winter and there were several complaints

21:28

filed against it was already in dispute

21:30

with the an hour be and i was struck

21:32

by them not only i

21:35

continue on it but in fact doubling down by

21:37

announcing it as official strategy in the

21:39

midst of a dispute at their investor meeting

21:41

yesterday i believe so the

21:43

i just to add on that is it doesn't

21:45

seem like it they are feeling

21:48

you know meek or sheepish about

21:50

a embracing these already disputed for the

21:52

strategies it it it bears repeating

21:54

that howard schultz was going to be hillary

21:57

clinton secretary of labor had see one

21:59

the twenty sixty

21:59

the action island

22:01

about that it it's so though

22:04

funny and even ran for president himself back

22:06

in the way i wasn't in so

22:09

how's the or president right now

22:10

what are you going to be a proper country

22:14

the things they could alarm

22:16

to that lady just shows how

22:19

might even though the interviews the sweetest

22:21

like great institution and it in it

22:23

it doesn't have that way you know sometimes

22:27

they're like

22:28

they take half a year or

22:30

year

22:31

you get like these violations

22:34

or it's like go to like federal court or

22:36

anything like

22:38

the respectively like kill

22:39

the cat which is what they're trying to do to kill the campaign

22:42

and then just like build a slap on the rest

22:44

later by it

22:46

it just shows how much the more power

22:48

the in a were being needs and i know

22:50

joe biden has so many issues but

22:52

like the wind the thing about him is him

22:55

we and word you know being pro

22:57

union union gel or whatever

22:59

i'm so i do hope

23:02

elites that i'm

23:05

the for union hopefully

23:07

does something that can at least like slow

23:10

start a sound before you

23:12

know they very blanton with at our lawyers

23:14

for me that my syringae was very

23:16

convenient for him

23:18

it would be fired

23:20

me less than twenty four hours

23:22

after the nlrb region three

23:24

and a

23:24

well i know that they were going to

23:28

they were had filed for an injunction

23:30

and we're taking starbucks to court i'm like two

23:32

hundred unfair labor practice charges

23:35

and like within twenty four hours i'm

23:37

they just fired me and my wire was like this is

23:39

really going back isn't good things he doesn't

23:41

really fit into my schedule

23:43

i don't care

23:45

and i'm gonna be great for us okay

23:48

or what lower on the topic of retaliation

23:50

obviously this benefits thing is

23:53

a particular sinister version of this an elite

23:55

i want to talk about your pc jacobin an innocent

23:57

in a second

23:58

on this

23:59

the but are are there any other notable

24:02

retaliation

24:03

patrick said the you guys have encountered

24:06

along these lines these lines every time we talk about

24:09

unions have it is it's grimly

24:11

funny to be that that it seems like no matter how

24:14

the pc catered or unsophisticated you imagine

24:16

the corporate body they seem to roll

24:18

out the same dusty old playboy in

24:21

every situation

24:23

you know outside in full agitators

24:25

are you know where families are a family

24:28

out if people are coming in to be

24:30

a be a third in our relationship

24:32

without without fanfare it out

24:34

supposed to replace as as of

24:37

give you get speak any other of those of interesting

24:39

or maybe not interesting tactic

24:41

for you guys have encountered in terms of retaliation or

24:44

counter strategies

24:46

the for us and portland's when

24:50

i first reach out to work as united they pass

24:52

along with info packet like organizing

24:54

wanna one is everything you need to organize your server

24:57

and it laid out step by step

24:59

what the starbucks anti union campaign looks

25:01

like and i was

25:04

very humor to see that once

25:06

we filed a did exactly

25:08

that stuff for sat there was nothing nuanced

25:10

nothing was now even

25:12

in situations where it didn't make sense or didn't that are

25:14

store it's just you can tell they're reading for

25:18

manager tried telling me it are a couple

25:20

days after we had filed i ask you have

25:22

you been poached and anything and he said no

25:24

you didn't even give me time to talk for lawyers

25:26

i think that's definitely

25:28

a

25:30

second to be announced

25:32

ha

25:33

that we the at it has gotten more

25:36

this ridiculous as we've gone on we have this

25:38

one slang portland that ah

25:40

one of their organizers was fired a couple months

25:42

ago they want on strike couple weeks after

25:45

that

25:46

the

25:46

and ah we turned

25:49

out of onto the essay members to the picket line that

25:51

day and actually the regional director

25:54

soda the to

25:56

like work behind the bar to keep the store

25:58

open because the also without on strike

26:00

they didn't wanna lose out on a day profit the

26:03

and see put out like

26:06

an internal memo to partners

26:08

all across northwest oregon

26:11

the a couple days later and she said

26:13

that she gave us gave shout a shout said

26:15

the democratic sources showed up for

26:17

like a violent rally ah

26:21

it's just predict like it like it

26:24

if so i'm serious the way

26:26

that they do i mean it's obviously serious when

26:28

people get fired and one of the little that

26:30

at all the way that they go about

26:32

doing it it's

26:35

very humorous and it's very

26:38

the archaic and now as i see

26:40

more and more both independent and

26:42

new organizing efforts proper every

26:45

single other company just takes the page from the starbucks

26:47

playbook it's the same exact shit that

26:49

all of them are saying the same tactics

26:51

that all of them are using

26:53

the

26:53

it's not like it's boring and come up with

26:56

something better semiotic

26:58

, sad thing is that it doesn't necessarily have to be

27:00

novel or clever even make

27:02

sense when you are

27:05

you know a billie know multibillion dollar

27:07

corporation like it's just

27:09

like you know he doesn't like it or not concerned

27:11

about looking foolish

27:13

or because like matter is a whopping your

27:15

of with all these from having a union it

27:17

at least in the olden times we had in curtains

27:19

like friend back the pinkerton city

27:21

has he done plenty of

27:24

higher that's yeah sorry for usurping

27:26

percent lower regard

27:28

around i was gonna say so

27:31

or store like store like very privileged

27:33

in a woman today when i am i don't

27:35

want to you know knock on wait no one's been like fired

27:37

or like you know britain up yet thankfully we

27:39

have like pretty pretty good managers

27:41

year i'm but

27:43

i have heard some crazy stuff like i've heard

27:46

that like if we become a union

27:48

that they'll be able to drug test us and

27:50

so you know starbucks so

27:53

you

27:56

wouldn't everything so you're saying that you would not

27:58

have have

27:59

yeah there are all vivid we had

28:02

that in our contract they like know it's it's gonna happen

28:04

like that

28:05

that's wonderful that's what i've heard they do it you ps

28:07

and then we heard that from like management tool

28:10

and then there's someone who has like in a be

28:12

a part of like a ballet union and they were told

28:14

that they can be a part of to union arm

28:18

apparently a thing i've ,

28:20

clearly night night

28:22

was told that our store manager when deal to

28:24

work on the floor anymore if we are union

28:26

because they wouldn't be a part of the union ah

28:29

i'm and after we first

28:31

filed first was just really surprised that late how

28:34

unprepared they were when were had our lake

28:37

captive audience meeting with our district

28:39

managers and you know they told

28:41

us like a hello already had an agreement

28:44

in a contract to i was

28:46

like and place and we just needed to

28:48

go to the ellery be website and then they

28:50

just kept telling me like any question i had

28:53

they just kept telling me to like google it like

28:55

that was there

28:55

attaboy not and i

28:57

job to educate you

29:01

the very same day like

29:04

well come into the i talked to they use it's just to

29:06

use like the that starbucks in at the contract

29:09

where the inner canada contract

29:11

they agreed to not transfer

29:13

or like work at other stores because that works

29:15

and their situation but they're like

29:17

oh the buffalo store already agreed

29:19

to that and okay

29:21

i haven't heard that and they're like yeah you can google

29:23

it and i pulled out my phone and i googled

29:25

it and i showed him and i was like that's so weird like nothing

29:27

showing up on google and they're like oh

29:29

oh or i'll have to find

29:32

out more information for you so i literally pulled out

29:34

my phone and google that but it didn't work

29:36

from a phantom buffalo and might

29:39

have been with me when we were anyone interested anyone interested

29:42

and it was so fun

29:45

you might mess with them and

29:47

truly they would send an fate we got

29:49

like rock band william

29:51

howard schultz came to buffalo and

29:54

and give up there the uncomfortable speech

29:57

athena room with excited

30:00

the day but he came ruff am i to all the stores

30:02

and she was like

30:03

partners we have a very special

30:06

guest coming tonight and i literally was like it

30:08

has fallen slots she , think

30:10

that that oh past

30:13

ah yeah

30:15

howard with uncommitted your hopes up if he thought

30:17

it was his be josh allen i know i didn't

30:19

like that you guys are not pose

30:21

anybody big the builder union they're not

30:24

i'm

30:26

though they were if they were fund

30:28

the would send in like

30:30

the

30:31

coaches to everything else or

30:33

and

30:35

again my hobbies photos he other

30:37

like

30:37

their home off coated i have no

30:39

what they do

30:41

like know it up

30:43

are they are the further that are they for though like managers

30:45

to train against like this kind

30:47

of thing

30:48

i'm you dressing best

30:50

i can tell is like they

30:52

you how your store should be

30:54

laid out and like how

30:56

the flow of the drinks needs to go

30:59

and hire to streamline the process

31:02

how would you very fun because exactly none of them

31:05

can actually make a drink so my

31:07

store we started doing this thing where they would come

31:09

in and we'd be like oh like oh

31:11

my god thank god you're here were so understaffed

31:13

and they would say would you listen revealing what can

31:16

i do to help you through the only

31:18

dog or so understaffed

31:20

you know how to make drinks and some music

31:22

and yeah and i was a great

31:25

my party been on the bar for like an hour and a

31:27

half so low and she needs

31:29

a half so how will you go take over for

31:31

her and she's gonna go take a time and

31:35

you're near good enough to make drinks like your partner

31:37

go crazy i made it

31:39

might as well actually suffering i stores

31:41

you

31:44

have any to make drinks or there's retaliation

31:46

in terms of blatantly lying to you

31:48

is retaliation in terms of the law

31:51

firms as they have a retainer to deal with discover

31:53

things but there's also retaliation

31:55

in terms of deliberately fostering

31:57

an unsafe work environment now i

31:59

saw i saw a accounts a few months

32:01

back oh starbucks locations literally

32:04

removing the rubber mats

32:06

behind the counter i'm from stories

32:09

that had sought to unionize

32:11

of the have you seen anything like that are experienced anything

32:13

similar for similar minor godwin why the

32:15

rubber mats are so important

32:17

there there's a flip and fall because

32:19

everything behind us our first were

32:21

hi

32:22

they took mine

32:24

them out

32:25

man on with your me how the we

32:27

we had so many like they're called support

32:29

managers are like managers flown in from

32:31

across the country to literally surveil you

32:34

on

32:35

the we had so many of them

32:36

that one of them to come out the other one ordered

32:38

new one

32:39

i'm iran independent but he threw

32:42

them out and the other went through them and i

32:45

, think a says

32:48

is says high level coordination here coordination

32:50

a waste of money yes something new money

32:52

to be wanted this to be very fun

32:54

and like those of the buffoonish his of the retaliation

32:57

is what is always entertaining but i would like

32:59

to talk from it with elisa about

33:01

a recent article the you wrote offer

33:03

jacobin odd to go back to this benefits

33:06

situation i'm you were recently

33:09

wrote an op-ed for jacobin on starbucks offering travel

33:11

reimbursement for abortion services in gender affirming

33:13

care and then immediately using that

33:16

as a cudgel for the anti

33:19

the unionizing stores

33:21

which seems particularly sinister

33:23

in the wake of the dogs decision i

33:25

i wonder if you could go into that into that

33:27

bit

33:28

yeah it's definitely incredibly

33:30

sinister enough to piss me off enough

33:32

to like right and authored and i don't i don't

33:34

right i had

33:36

to give my anger out somewhere yeah

33:39

so i remember seeing the announcement

33:41

or here about a and then of course like

33:43

right under it is the sort of blurb that they say

33:45

know of any a little benefits announcement saying

33:48

you know we can't promise the up

33:50

an affair titan you know store that unionized

33:52

but it was like three like unclear and like wish you

33:54

are

33:55

the but it was intentional very clear

33:57

to

33:58

you know just show

33:59

the stories that they can just punish us

34:02

continually by

34:04

not offering us the same benefit

34:07

in so i remember

34:09

you know hearing my coworkers been like really

34:12

sad that that are it or store

34:14

probably wouldn't be covered and so i pulled

34:16

our partner resources line which is like however

34:19

that version of like h r but

34:21

he does this like cover as i'm

34:23

a i really want to know for a partners

34:27

and , could tell me it was

34:29

that they had not been advised

34:31

on that and ozick all this

34:33

ozick all partner benefits like this is

34:35

a partner benefit like how the not then the

34:38

advised on a you

34:40

know i was a very confused because

34:43

that was like they would think for me to the person that

34:45

you know like handled the like abortion

34:48

benefits and with like if i needed that

34:50

they would help that it up for they had not been advised

34:53

and to not give me an answer whether it like covered

34:55

union stores or night's ah in

34:58

so all of us you know knowingly

35:00

though that it wouldn't cover union stores

35:03

i'm and then there is a

35:05

is think it was bon appetit magazine that were

35:08

writing an article you know basically saying

35:10

what you said that starbucks

35:12

using [unk] abortion i'm the

35:14

abortion ban as like a union

35:16

busting tactic and of is pretty harsh on starbucks

35:19

and they reached for comment and at starbucks

35:21

says oh no it'll cover all stores

35:23

and so suddenly want they're getting bad pressed about

35:26

it it starts covering all stores to

35:29

anyway don't cover all know but the way it was

35:31

ruled out was particularly insidious

35:33

and they really had to be like post

35:35

for her like

35:37

the bad press backlash that what's happening

35:39

for them to gonna change their stance on it so

35:41

these

35:41

the idea here that they're like you know surpluses

35:43

progressive company and like post jobs you're like

35:46

yeah we're gonna we're gonna provide on

35:48

reproductive health care for are all our employees

35:50

and every states but then in those states

35:52

of which the dogs decision is made abortion illegal

35:55

and to just be like ah yeah that's who they are

35:57

if you don't sunday evening

35:59

yeah

35:59

actually that's exactly what the

36:02

right

36:03

pretty much everyone's interpretation of what had

36:05

happened and again it doesn't actually

36:07

cover all employees it only covers

36:09

employees are under like starbucks

36:12

has health insurance plan would you have to work like

36:14

an average of twenty hours a week for at least

36:16

three months and then also like hey into

36:19

like we buy insurance through start but you

36:21

have the

36:22

the directions

36:23

so if you're working less than that or

36:25

your hours are getting chi or if

36:27

insurance system or else like you're not covered

36:29

lender it yet it seems like the

36:32

confusion is part of the strategy

36:34

your eyes

36:35

the only be eyes from the the i was

36:37

rings new york times article was that was talking about

36:39

this ah from the times

36:42

wage policy is about a similar

36:44

policy on on increase wages that

36:46

was then

36:47

most actively reverted for various

36:49

source ya to three this the way twelve

36:52

he appears to have some confusion with some employees briefly

36:54

receiving a pay increase that was then withdrawn

36:57

calling cochran withdrawn work on a sword your buffalo

36:59

that initially voted to unionize in a bird

37:01

against the and in a rerun election decided

37:03

to spawn

37:04

provided pay stub showing that is sixteen

37:06

twenty eight hourly wage was increased

37:08

to sixteen seventy seven the first week of august

37:11

when starbucks began pay increases nationwide

37:13

mr cochran's pay suffer the second week of august

37:15

so narrowly paid robbing back to sixteen

37:17

twenty eight

37:18

no it it's digging around

37:21

with the the you're literally month

37:23

to month even week to week pay stub interest

37:26

in minute response to the the unionizing

37:28

decisions as away and then

37:30

when you as it sounds like when you call the partner

37:32

hotline or whatever it's called up adding

37:35

some kind of deniability a lego we don't know what's going

37:37

on a must be a mistake when it's seemingly

37:39

clearly put in response to

37:41

unionize a activities yeah is the

37:43

thing i'll say that that was really city

37:46

and on

37:48

very not very welcome

37:50

at my store because we had one our election at

37:52

the end of july finally and so

37:56

service announced the fifteen dollar minimum wage

37:58

increases wage increases

37:59

in up

37:59

there are so effectively effectively

38:02

with still apply to stores that have unionized

38:04

after october just not like the initial

38:06

buffalo and for

38:09

some reason no idea at all they

38:11

changed it so i'm all the non

38:13

union stores with get their fifteen dollar minimum

38:15

wage increase of his first that

38:17

like union stores would get a august

38:19

twenty nine and so on

38:22

a lot of my partners were very is they

38:24

they

38:24

that off the the

38:27

other stores in our area were getting their fifteen

38:29

dollar minimum wage increases on

38:31

august first that we had to wait where weeks until

38:34

august twenty nine i'm just

38:36

for being union and it was

38:40

even though we're just one our election like it made

38:42

a lot of people pretty bummed to find

38:44

out that will be excluded for that

38:47

i was wondering what you guys could tell me about

38:49

workers united the organization

38:52

that the

38:52

starbucks is unionizing under a

38:55

have you guys had much interaction with them what do you

38:58

a you know what what's the relationship between

39:00

the individual starbucks unions and workers

39:02

united a you know our are they providing

39:06

strategy tactics for years

39:08

yeah so service workers united

39:10

is linked directly under workers united

39:13

so just like a sub union under that arm

39:15

and we work really closely with it on

39:18

late pretty much like since the beginning on

39:20

they've provided us like tons of

39:22

stuff on the help

39:25

, lot especially like ah working

39:27

willing national bargaining arm and they

39:29

help organize stores in certain areas where

39:31

there's like joint worth ah

39:33

i know they have like have lot

39:34

unions and like the north east

39:37

like and buffalo i think the

39:39

other coffee shops are unionized with them

39:42

and i think ones which are advancing her arm

39:45

who was like really involved

39:47

really involved and i met him he's super nice

39:49

and gray am

39:50

and yeah i think they

39:53

the road where for united and buffalo they

39:55

wanted like a smaller union that would like canopy

39:57

tension at an arm and also when

39:59

the

39:59

are you already with unionizing coffee

40:02

shops sell i think elizabeth

40:03

there yeah so a couple years ago

40:06

were reunited organize a local

40:08

chain of hotspot i think it's just in buffalo in rochester

40:11

and richard and

40:13

jasper that who

40:14

i'm move the hello my got

40:16

a job at the elmwood store on both

40:18

help out lot with that campaign

40:21

and that's how they met his name's

40:23

gary he works at

40:24

the right have to reveal joint board for

40:26

united

40:27

gary has san like

40:29

theme he's is the best labour leader

40:32

like ever i'm here

40:34

like with the pay for everything

40:36

he makes it a healthy have to worry about

40:38

is organizing stores and

40:41

he like he cares about all of us so much he

40:43

drove an like an hour for my vote count

40:45

justice to be there on and

40:48

and another thing that starbucks is doing it

40:51

once you get fired

40:52

it they fight you like very

40:54

hard and unemployment court

40:57

so like not only my finance

40:59

with the and

40:59

be and like that trial starting at the end

41:01

of the year for my firing i also have to fight

41:03

them in unemployment court in so we what's your argument

41:06

about why you because you're fired you

41:08

don't get unemployment

41:09

robin hood i'm violated

41:11

the company policy okay so the that wouldn't

41:13

count first are receiving unemployment benefits

41:16

so when i think and unemployment court

41:18

and workers united has been so supportive

41:21

through that like how can find

41:23

a lawyer i'm and she's fantastic

41:27

bear in other provide

41:28

the all this a poor i need were

41:30

yeah i can't say enough great things

41:32

about workers united and like specifically like

41:34

gary in the process ritual drawing board have

41:36

done

41:37

amazing things for the campaign i

41:39

will add that yeah i

41:41

share i share of the praise for workers united but i think

41:44

one thing is that it's been pretty uneven development

41:46

in terms of

41:47

where our stores are getting a lot of support

41:50

the from union side i

41:52

know like in the pacific northwest there's

41:54

been a lot of us who have been fired

41:56

or in my case lifestyle

41:58

who

41:59

that's a fairly getting all of

42:02

the support from workers he added that we are seeing

42:04

another area i'm anti bank a

42:06

large part of that has to do with most

42:09

of workers united the joint

42:11

boards which is what they call their locals most

42:13

of that is in the northeast so it makes sense

42:15

of there's more stop that but there

42:17

are a few of us out on the west coast who have been hired

42:19

or pushed out and buy i was unemployed

42:21

for a couple months after being pushed out then

42:24

i would like texting my staff or everyday

42:26

like eighty of the job for me yet like can you

42:28

give me a job organ i like already do this

42:30

work and you'd give me a site and or something the

42:34

so i think that i

42:36

do think like as we grow in

42:38

size that makes it possible for

42:41

workers united to have more staffers on the

42:43

west coast i think it is pretty clear that

42:45

my there's definitely got larger

42:47

than richard and the staff initially

42:50

intended it to our and it grew a lot

42:52

faster than i thought it was which means

42:54

like in a lot of ways we're kind of

42:56

outpacing the the infrastructure

42:59

that we do have to be able to support workers

43:02

which it also called him out because i

43:04

know it's going to reach a stage

43:06

where like we are getting do is

43:08

dollars and were able to hire more organizers

43:10

i'm not be as a that's down the road we need a contract

43:13

before we start paying dues i'm but i

43:15

do think that that

43:17

the uneven development is a result of

43:20

how quickly this is ground now

43:22

that new filings have slowed down

43:24

a little bit where where kind of

43:26

being able to catch up a little bit more and get

43:28

more organized among the where can i

43:30

add back in my

43:32

region is exactly the same like we had

43:34

we had board technically but there's no

43:37

organizers there is not really any were

43:39

the united you know development here

43:41

am at least before us and so we

43:43

basically

43:44

replica pacific northwest and adelaide organizer

43:47

own region as like

43:48

that's rivers

43:51

they would national stuff even super helpful

43:53

the yeah still lit regional allies

43:55

it's been difficult and i also wanted to add and workers

43:57

united and put together a million dollars i

43:59

find

43:59

for elena i'm from

44:02

the other unions are they have like using

44:04

save all save quota to use their dues to

44:06

pathetic other for us and so i

44:08

still really appreciative for it that they know

44:10

a lot of unions don't have access to something like

44:13

i'm as what are you guys could speak

44:15

to the responses from

44:17

local media maybe

44:20

the local politicians around you are you

44:22

guys i'm imagining it

44:24

that the response from se

44:26

portland oregon local media to a

44:28

an hour or bit buffalo to a the

44:30

idea of us up unionization effort

44:32

is a little different than us central oklahoma

44:34

i wanna hear a lease ago earth because

44:36

i'm curious because actually our local media

44:38

response has not been good at all

44:41

running cut out of a lot of south south i'm

44:43

curious to hear how it isn't it

44:45

the event of a poor

44:48

i do you wanna say

44:51

i don't want to necessarily say in getting better

44:53

but i think just with like extensive like pressure

44:55

of like the starbucks campaign also growing nationally

44:58

there's been more late pressure to cut great i'm

45:01

but i remember at first like you're the first door

45:03

to lake file and go public and i remember

45:05

sitting out like getting like a whole like

45:07

press list of like everyone in oklahoma

45:09

and i was like yeah like everyone's going to report

45:11

on this but only one local

45:14

news place i was just a small

45:16

local independent website called like okay

45:19

see free press was the only people

45:21

that were interested i'm in what they

45:23

put out there article about us i'm

45:26

that's when other news or he started covering us

45:29

and we had a fair selection and

45:31

we had a lot of like media coverage for the

45:34

first election everyone showed up and

45:36

and for the second one it really dried up and

45:38

then the third one we didn't

45:40

really have any eight like press

45:42

hovering at again i

45:45

don't within and whole life you know

45:47

there and like i've had to make make

45:49

relationships with like i'm you know

45:52

there in like local media people here where i

45:54

know they're very interested in covering it and they

45:56

have to keep pestering their bosses over and

45:58

over

45:58

and finally

45:59

the two of them had of i'm in able to like

46:02

it a story thrill am and get us

46:04

like some coverage on by

46:06

it's it's still been really tough on

46:08

we'd get it said get a lot of local media coverage

46:11

whenever we have a labour day rally at the capitol

46:13

and i think the only does it was like a slow

46:15

news day nothing

46:16

hum

46:18

it would really the first time that we had like all

46:20

of the local news out there and like them

46:22

covering it like multiple times today and like

46:24

covering with the whole said men which is like

46:26

when the and like acutely to fight second

46:29

clip of one of us and so

46:31

that was really great a yeah it's been

46:33

a struggle like i've been trying to get

46:35

like an interview with like the oklahoman

46:37

like our big like newspaper here

46:39

but you know it is

46:41

the do a tricky but

46:44

the the people who have like consistently

46:46

covered us like the local

46:48

independent media that is pro union like they've

46:50

been to prevent the sample

46:52

getting like their actual presses

46:55

ben

46:55

it hard and i'm impressed and portland it's not

46:58

necessarily that we're not getting coverage

47:00

it's that

47:01

when when you deal there's always

47:03

just like one quote from one of our

47:05

organizers and it's something like robert

47:08

should stop union busting my mom

47:10

reported as i like it's that's true

47:12

but we have more to say the not i'm

47:14

and especially in portland my

47:17

some ice or with the first that organize and from the very

47:19

beginning portland usa has been critical

47:23

ally in terms of organizing like many

47:25

of our stores would not be at the point that they are

47:28

without support from the as i am and i

47:30

know it's similar in other parts of the country like i know

47:32

buffalo the essays been really supportive

47:34

the

47:35

but there's also drawbacks

47:37

that in terms of local media like because the essay

47:40

is such a like central presents at

47:42

a lot of our of local media in portland

47:44

does not like covering portland he has a so

47:46

we're actually getting cut out of a lot of stuff just because

47:49

the like socialists are there

47:51

are so we're not going to give them quotes are not gonna post

47:53

pictures or whatever and and

47:55

that's been really frustrating we have like the oregonian

47:58

which is or big state paper showed up the

48:00

one of our stride and i

48:02

was the person that gave the quote and identified myself

48:04

as a d s a member and and

48:06

ask [unk] wu member and they have not sure back

48:09

up to another one of our man i'm

48:12

so i mean like this like this particular

48:14

to starbucks like of

48:16

course the media doesn't to

48:18

cover like especially class struggle unions

48:21

which i think that is the thing that delineates

48:23

this is in most

48:25

of our stores that i've talked with

48:29

yeah like if a lot of younger people who are involved

48:31

in this movement and younger people

48:34

tend more progressive more radical and

48:36

so a lot of us are running this like explicitly

48:38

as we are a class struggle yeah

48:40

the and

48:41

that as is a lot of people off a i mean including

48:44

other local huge like not everybody them

48:46

to that so a definite drawbacks to that

48:49

i mean obviously right way to do it

48:52

what seems like as like you know a as

48:54

as labor actions become a gain more

48:56

visibility and like the the hottest you

48:58

know she is the hottest part of that right now in america

49:00

is in the service economy in in things

49:02

like starbucks but it seems like as

49:05

they become more visible there always seems to be this

49:07

like the introduction of this meta debate

49:09

about like who really counts as working class

49:12

or who really deserves a union and i think

49:14

like starbucks for the media and for people

49:16

who are opposed to it i think starbucks

49:18

provides a particularly soft target because it's idea

49:20

like all your all like college kids are like

49:22

you're spoiled brats really you're not really union

49:24

are working class or something i mean have you

49:26

encountered that as you have any thoughts on on the is

49:28

kind of like who gets to have a union who

49:31

counts is working class the a the

49:33

the still lingering remnants

49:35

of the classic coffee flavored coffee

49:37

to play debates and in buffalo

49:40

we've had a couple people say it to us

49:42

but it's more like individual members

49:45

of local union the

49:47

like all like i bet it's so hard isn't

49:49

that like very the sarcastically old man

49:52

at like an action or something

49:54

in buffalo buffalo has

49:57

the are my that like it's double the national

49:59

average

49:59

union population in buffalo

50:02

so

50:03

we're we're very

50:04

lucky that

50:05

we have

50:06

the no other you in showing up we have our local

50:08

politicians showing up we have ah

50:11

the media and

50:13

there are media coverage

50:14

the to be limited to like

50:16

in action which is kind of iffy cellphone

50:18

coverage but it it

50:20

firing that i really did

50:22

you see once i'm so

50:25

we're like me have like a labour day parade

50:27

the other day and we all went and met

50:29

with a bunch of unions and we picketed

50:32

every single starbucks in buffalo you

50:35

knew non union and we asked local union

50:37

to send people out and chef so that

50:39

no store would be

50:41

i'm picketed

50:42

am i think they showed up for

50:44

as on and it's been a

50:46

sign of have all adopted us

50:49

some of them are not very excited

50:51

that were there a think the , most

50:53

of them are i'm just excited that young

50:55

younger people are interested

50:58

in the labor movement and that's really all they care about

51:01

i don't want to keep your much longer than our

51:03

but i do when i was kind of broad and

51:05

out broad little bit and

51:07

you eat as think about

51:08

where's the long term strategy

51:11

you're going you imagine this movement

51:13

spreading to other fast

51:16

food type spaces i mean there is the service

51:19

economy is so as such a huge

51:21

part of america's economy right now this does seem

51:23

like a first sink in the armor of

51:25

of

51:26

getting abuse kinds of establishments

51:29

involved in labor organizing i'm

51:32

is there any outreach there

51:34

is there any discussion of broadening

51:36

the on starbucks do you have

51:38

discussions with other kinds of fast

51:40

food workers i guess

51:41

and buffalo we've had a lot of like smaller

51:44

i'm like local businesses have

51:46

their workers reach out to us and ask like

51:49

just how do we get started with says

51:52

the replay don't want to organize with workers

51:54

that me still like give them

51:56

our little information packet and everything and

51:59

so it's

51:59

i'm like spreading especially

52:02

in buffalo i i think that

52:04

i've read only really feel it buffalo

52:06

and but the other we've had people

52:09

into my job like other smaller coffee shops

52:11

on smaller like restaurants

52:14

and stuff like that start reaching out and

52:17

is a good little taco place in

52:19

buffalo that reached out on

52:21

and they were like yeah we didn't know that we could do this on

52:23

until you guys that at the like how

52:26

how do you even go about a union what is

52:28

a you me and we really want best answer

52:31

very answering your m portland

52:33

we have a mega local grocery

52:36

chain

52:38

that

52:39

they've had several high profile a

52:41

failed union drives in the past that's

52:44

some of their workers reached out to

52:46

like specifically are staffer for the end of

52:49

you who than i am in touch with

52:51

us and the pacific northwest you know they

52:53

reached out asking like can we organized with workers

52:55

united like were very inspired by what

52:57

starbucks partners are doing

52:59

the

53:00

and yeah like i mentioned workers yeah it

53:02

doesn't have a lot of capacity for taking

53:04

on new projects so we actually

53:07

the are talked a lot with them and encourage them

53:09

to just organize independently like

53:12

a it was very clear and they

53:14

already had an eye for how to organize their shop

53:17

that's all that you need to organize independently

53:19

really like i mean obviously at some point you need to find

53:21

the lawyer but he on that

53:23

i think what we're seeing as like a lot more independent

53:26

organizing efforts that are going on i'm

53:29

and so i've definitely consulted

53:31

with like a lot of workers who

53:33

initially reach out like they want to organize with the

53:35

union but then they realized like oh actually i

53:38

can do this on my out like i can be the

53:40

leader we can start around thing and

53:42

so that's been really cool to be a part of that

53:44

no i haven't had any fast food places

53:47

reach out to me i'm before

53:49

that apple union went public here and

53:51

they reached out feel when my coworkers i'm

53:54

i think it's like this second filed apple

53:56

store

53:58

for union election

53:59

the yet he had reached out to someone from

54:02

like hobby lobby was wanting to organize their

54:04

warehouse i

54:06

don't want him ago eight is such a tough

54:08

place to organize i i don't know it

54:11

, tougher than at least a suffers like

54:13

amazon and but ah

54:15

whenever i did what you a little teamsters here

54:17

they told us they had an uptick in restaurant organizing

54:20

since we went public in so

54:23

they haven't gone through a spy apparently they're

54:25

contacting my teamsters and other like local

54:27

union to this day and they said it's like mom and pop

54:30

restaurants that have like really bad management and

54:32

whatnot management so

54:34

inspired and so that was

54:36

really

54:37

it really inside

54:38

and i think one

54:40

of the reasons

54:42

that i'm starbucks is like pushing

54:45

back so much and will really

54:47

keep pushing back so much is because they

54:49

have like the entire restaurant industry behind

54:52

them to not let this be like the first domino

54:54

that will fall ah because

54:57

the up like when a contract that's really

54:59

nice and at least like have a livable wage

55:01

and like better working conditions like i

55:04

can only imagine how many

55:06

fast food places or fellas do a notable they

55:08

has already by it'll be inevitable

55:11

the just have to more questions i think

55:13

one for me one from well

55:15

a this is just about kind of the nature

55:17

of a work at a starbucks this

55:19

is this is kinda more from personal experience but

55:21

it seems like every food service

55:24

chain that i visited it has basically been

55:26

under w pressure over the last

55:28

like eighteen months or so from the delivery

55:30

apps everybody has the line

55:33

that is the in-store line and then the line

55:35

that is the door dash uber eats the app

55:37

if i'd delivery things coming out a

55:39

you know the ticker were just rolling through those and

55:42

it seems a insanely stressful is

55:44

that been a new element of working

55:47

and starbucks and has that like a how does

55:49

that affect the pressure of work

55:51

the paper my store and

55:53

we do have delivery and on

55:56

it doesn't get annoying when there's like a fourteen like

55:58

delivery order that comes jail

55:59

and you know you need to like do that

56:02

as well but i i would say it's like really

56:04

hard to like projects

56:06

his mobile order ah because

56:09

like you're on bar you see the line the despite

56:11

people might you know you have five drink but like

56:13

if someone comes in with like with a twenty

56:16

drink like mobile order then you know

56:18

the impact like to drink you'll have

56:20

to make and then also like delivery on top

56:22

of that so just like as your workload

56:24

that you know you don't necessarily usually

56:26

expect to be says of like the capacity

56:29

of like standing a minor like the drive through line

56:31

so it just kind of like add to the workload

56:33

i'm and now to are

56:36

like have liked the extra

56:38

people on board like help with her

56:39

the the other thing about the delivery

56:42

apps is so in the mobile order

56:44

pos system we can actually mark

56:46

out like know we don't have white mocha

56:49

we can mark that out and then it won't let somebody

56:51

mobile order something with white mocha at

56:53

the uber eats system does not allow us

56:55

to do that so we have people constantly

56:57

it's like every other uber eats order

57:00

will be ordering something we

57:02

haven't had in stopped for months or

57:05

the see them all from the last year

57:07

that we'd discontinued and don't have anymore

57:09

see the orders come through and if there's not

57:11

something that's like an obvious substitution

57:14

for it you have to call the driver have

57:17

them contact the customer oh my

57:19

god i'd what it is the play was so my

57:21

new and like ninety five percent of the time

57:23

people don't answer their phones because like if

57:26

you're not a if you're not even gonna get out of bed

57:28

to go stop it or not going

57:30

to answer the phone is that

57:33

, every person gets two

57:35

hundred calls from unmarked numbers every

57:37

day now yeah yeah

57:39

just the it just seems going

57:41

in your stores like starbucks that every store

57:43

has become store stores now a

57:46

with the same amount of staff and i i and

57:48

it's just something that stresses me

57:50

out when i go into a to any sir alec this

57:53

i think we'll had a i kind of

57:55

a another question or comment

57:57

or isis the server at this is this is over several

57:59

iphone

57:59

with this one a look you know anyone who

58:02

has worked in any sector

58:04

of the service economy a will tell

58:06

you that customers can be difficult

58:09

at times and it seems like the starbucks

58:11

customer is a certain kind of difficult

58:14

and i wasn't aware of this until preparing for the show that this

58:16

is actually a , are speaking

58:18

of course about the enormously

58:20

complicated and ridiculous like milkshakes

58:23

with people not like a like wasn't aware there's aware huge

58:25

part of starbucks is increasing profitability

58:27

is that according to their research gen

58:30

z wants sort of customization

58:33

they want to be able to order anything with any variation

58:35

and now chris your your your friend or was

58:37

just found some of these insane starbucks order as

58:39

she sat onto

58:41

just i use from the wanted

58:43

his i pod who posted a massive thread

58:45

of tic toc recommended orders with things

58:47

like the nuts and bolts latte how do

58:49

you how do i order i can i get a venti

58:52

lot he made with blood add an extra shot as

58:54

repulsive why milk and three pounds of his on our top

58:56

with vanilla sweet cream cold film and extra

58:58

karma

58:59

the result

59:00

that ah you know i have use were

59:02

but is is that phrase triggering daddy of you

59:05

i was just gonna say a

59:07

whenever he saw that thread

59:09

i was literally triggered i had a clue that

59:13

zadar meeting as having flashbacks

59:15

my my single favorite piece of media coverage

59:18

of our union campaign has an from the

59:20

onion the headline read

59:22

starbucks five unionization effort by hiring

59:24

pinkerton to order exhausting hyper

59:26

specific yeah

59:29

you know honestly

59:31

i could work don't give them any idea

59:32

i'm

59:34

sure they're listening to this howard so so

59:37

so i gave you the out over a grubby guys are

59:39

those that go ahead

59:40

the i have a picture of like the most

59:42

disgusting

59:44

horrible drink anybody the ever ordered

59:46

it really requested

59:47

yeah this is my first time i open of you guys

59:49

like either you personally or someone that

59:52

you know in in in your in your store

59:54

a what is what is the most insane

59:57

that starbucks drink order that you've ever had

59:59

to fill

59:59

you want to preface this by saying that we

1:00:02

made it

1:00:03

man i made everybody on my

1:00:05

sis try it

1:00:06

my past month or up

1:00:08

and okay

1:00:09

the twenty eighth forte

1:00:11

the shrubbery puree several blended

1:00:14

with three com to found sugar

1:00:16

i'm of classic vanilla sweet cream

1:00:18

cone phone that as get

1:00:20

the survey inclusion

1:00:22

that com overlays hopping and then for

1:00:24

comes to vanilla oh oh gosh

1:00:26

oh okay i felt like a project

1:00:28

the ken ken is like is

1:00:30

there a way through labor action

1:00:33

or are you as workers and we broadly

1:00:35

as a society

1:00:37

to a confront and brings a

1:00:39

heel these cretinous sugar addicted

1:00:41

morons yeah

1:00:44

we , to bring back only only

1:00:47

shame i

1:00:49

just shame more question about like the specifics

1:00:52

of customers and starbucks

1:00:54

what is and get this can be you personally or something

1:00:56

that you've heard about from fellow workers what

1:00:58

is the most insane name that someone

1:01:00

has made you write on a coffee cup and announced

1:01:03

to a store full of people we less of an

1:01:05

insane

1:01:06

why someone would come in and put like that

1:01:08

man and sweet have like hello batman

1:01:10

play nothing nothing

1:01:12

no easy at my way know

1:01:14

i know let's let's go brandon's on

1:01:17

your i had i had one and

1:01:19

but i either if they do that either won't

1:01:22

put a name on the cop or answers

1:01:23

if you say it aloud and like there

1:01:26

wasn't

1:01:26

input like trump on a cop and he tried to come

1:01:28

up mean he's like what's the name on it and i was like

1:01:30

is a lot

1:01:31

a

1:01:34

a kind of related

1:01:37

so whenever we are are

1:01:39

asking for like customers to come an inch of the for

1:01:41

it will have them like a like union strong or

1:01:43

something on the drink and like some starbucks is

1:01:45

a the great not great management

1:01:47

have little the workers can

1:01:49

i even like he allow lake union strother like

1:01:52

any union on their drink now so

1:01:54

the to see the crazy stuff but not unionism

1:01:57

place

1:01:57

ah what the years also much for doing

1:01:59

there's a joint effort is been a great

1:02:02

conversation it's great you're all the in

1:02:04

of work do you guys are doing is there anything that we didn't get to do

1:02:06

you feel like we should a we should

1:02:08

have the only if there's anyone listening was like

1:02:10

a you know a chocolate listener who

1:02:13

is a starbucks employee and hasn't considered unionizing

1:02:15

haha i know but like just like anyone

1:02:17

in and like a you know in a similar job or and starbucks

1:02:20

out there like what like just what advice would you leave

1:02:22

them with about like you know what to do

1:02:24

or like what's the takeaway from this

1:02:25

for advice i'll have to think about that but there

1:02:27

is something funny that i just don't have that we messed

1:02:30

talking about that i figured chapo

1:02:33

would enjoy very much so

1:02:35

a one of directors like krantz

1:02:37

i'm union busting tactics

1:02:40

issue accused the nlrb of the of

1:02:42

colluding with starbucks and

1:02:44

, do you to all male and

1:02:47

ballot voting because apparently

1:02:49

mail in ballots are vote or are

1:02:52

you know are bad now and

1:02:54

last week last last week rally

1:02:57

after the talking about howard schultz

1:02:59

and he started bringing

1:03:00

exactly what you're saying is like howard

1:03:02

schultz with like the long skinny legs

1:03:05

the whatever i

1:03:07

got us in the clip is a i know you

1:03:09

will enjoy

1:03:09

yeah have you could for be a close to it added it all goes

1:03:12

you definitely need to like put it in here or something and the greatest

1:03:15

thing happened over the last few days starbucks

1:03:17

remember schultz this guy shows

1:03:19

the one with the extremely thin legs as

1:03:21

a baby doctor oz were said easy the really

1:03:24

good or very very vs

1:03:26

there's during a debate he was sitting down i thought

1:03:28

his legs i didn't think you'd be able to stand

1:03:31

up

1:03:32

what's your he's ahead of it they

1:03:34

just announced

1:03:36

unions are trying to take over starbucks

1:03:39

but he will not under any circumstance

1:03:42

allow mail in voting because it's

1:03:44

the evil and , our

1:03:48

so

1:03:48

i believe like million ballots are

1:03:51

are voter fraud seal and

1:03:53

, i love this analogy

1:03:55

that that

1:03:56

i have to plug

1:03:59

the

1:03:59

today i'm the first

1:04:02

one is unlikely not just specific the starbucks

1:04:04

partners but anybody who want

1:04:06

the union and a request

1:04:08

the thing that not necessarily

1:04:11

i'd add much to me because we had records united

1:04:13

but the emergency workplace organizing any

1:04:15

or you are the like the perfect

1:04:17

resource for anybody there's

1:04:20

another first thing about organizing but now

1:04:22

it's like a want to do it and or have

1:04:24

to do it at their job they always

1:04:26

say like if organizing is one hundred steps

1:04:29

will take you to the first fifty and

1:04:31

and it's like a volunteer a team of organizers

1:04:33

that will take you through that for a profit

1:04:35

like teach you how to like map your workplace

1:04:38

and my no sign

1:04:40

a fine people like assessment based on what

1:04:42

how you think it would relate to unions

1:04:45

i'm and then from there was like what you

1:04:47

into a union that can help you go

1:04:49

the rest of the way or will help you

1:04:51

do it independently i'm in and

1:04:54

the other thing is ah tian mention

1:04:56

it several times outs continue to mention that

1:04:58

like i'm a very proud bfm number

1:05:00

and i've heard from so many

1:05:02

different stories that he has a has been really helpful

1:05:05

and organizing the author from some

1:05:07

other sort that are like they were the i feel

1:05:09

like we have one nearby but we haven't heard from

1:05:11

that the and similar to work

1:05:13

as united like yes they also struggles with

1:05:15

uneven develop like some smaller chapters

1:05:17

don't do labour work because they don't have any training

1:05:20

on it they don't know how to do it i'm and we

1:05:22

actually just launched labour solidarity

1:05:24

at the national the as a strike