WALLA WALLA STARBUCKS WORKERS ARE UNIONIZING
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 27, 2023
Contact:
General: starbucksmedia@workers-united.org
WALLA WALLA STARBUCKS WORKERS ARE UNIONIZING
WALLA WALLA, WA – Last week, workers at the Plaza Way Starbucks in Walla Walla, WA, filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to unionize with Starbucks Workers United. The Plaza Way partners (employees) are joining a nationwide movement of hundreds of stores and thousands of baristas organizing for better working conditions.
Workers sent a letter to Starbucks Interim CEO Howard Schultz to announce their organizing campaign. In the letter, workers explained that they are organizing as “we believe in equitable pay for all partners and we deserve to earn a liveable wage. We believe that partners should be empowered to protect their health, both physical, and mental, in the workplace.”
“I’m profoundly disappointed in what Starbucks has become. Being a partner for almost two decades, I should feel valued, respected, and heard by this company. Starbucks corporate says they will commit to improving conditions, but they rarely follow through. Actions speak louder than words, and I’m ready to hold corporate accountable. Stop cutting our labor hours when it’s obvious to our customers and us that we need more! Starbucks partners and customers deserve to have a consistent experience. Starbucks partners deserve better.” said Dana Ayers, a partner and organizer at the Walla Walla location.
Starbucks has launched a ruthless union-busting campaign that includes firing over 200 union leaders across the country and shuttering union stores. At least nine union leaders in Washington State have been fired in retaliation for their organizing activity, and more have been forced out of the Company.
The NLRB has issued 80 official Complaints against the Company, encompassing over 1,400 violations of federal labor law.
Starbucks Workers United is the union drive that has taken the labor movement by storm, with more new unions formed in 12 months than any US company in the last 20 years. There are now over 290 Starbucks stores in 42 states and the District of Columbia that have successfully unionized.
###
