Starbucks Workers United

Non-interference and Fair Election Principles

for Partner Unionization

As dedicated Starbucks partners organizing our workplaces, we call on our employer to sign the Non- interference Principles to enable workers to choose whether or not to unionize without fear of reprisal and to provide a level playing field. Starbucks says their mission is improving communities one coffee at a time. Respecting partners’ right to organize is the best way to accomplish this mission.

Starbucks says that they support partners’ right to unionize. That is a good thing, but these words must be put into action. Their “Starbucks Supplier Social Responsibility Standards” proclaim that “Suppliers must recognize and respect the right of workers to freedom of association and to bargain collectively. Workers must not be subject to intimidation or harassment in the exercise of their right to join or to refrain from joining any organization.” Starbucks also says that they “respect our partners’ right to organize” -- in other words, although Starbucks is not pro-union, as the union is for the workers and not the company, the company has stated that they will not interfere or retaliate against workers for organizing.

If Starbucks believes in supporting the rights of its partners, it must recognize that it is not up to corporate to decide whether unions are necessary, but rather up to us, the Starbucks partners.

We see unions as the best way to make Starbucks a place to have a sustainable career and a true partnership. We do not see our desire to organize as a reaction to specific policies but as a commitment to making Starbucks, Buffalo, and the world a better place.

We are inspired by the examples set by our predecessors in the labor movement, from 17-year-old Ida Breiman, a member of the same union we are now organizing with, who was killed by a sweatshop owner during the 1913 general strike in Rochester, to our fellow baristas at Spot Coffee in Buffalo, who recently overcame union-busting, won these same non-interference principles, and were ultimately able to negotiate a contract with their employer, gaining significant wage increases, unlimited 5 minute breaks, and an open arbitration process not dominated by the employer.

By organizing Starbucks, we add to this long history of fighting for workers’ rights and the common good. The restaurant industry has many similarities to the garment industry our predecessors organized. Back then, factory workers were considered “unskilled” and un-organizable. Only by organizing did they change those perceptions and elevate their industry. We as food service workers can do the same. We should be able to exercise our right to organize without fear of corporate interference or retaliation.

Some enlightened employers choose not to interfere with their employees’ right to decide. They may not want a union, but they respect their employees’ right to have one. They don’t run anti-union meetings. They don’t make threats. They don’t hire union-busting consultants. They show respect for this fundamental human and civil right.

US labor law does not sufficiently protect us. Labor law allows companies to bombard workers who try to organize unions with intense anti-union messages that create a climate of fear.

We believe that the best way to truly inspire and nourish the human spirit is to organize for greater justice, greater equality, and a greater vision of what life can be for Starbucks workers across the Buffalo region and for workers in the coffee and restaurant industry. By signing onto these principles, Starbucks can prove itself a true partner in this mission.