Store opened in 1971 in Seattle’s Pike Place Market joins growing unionization campaign across the coffee chain

Workers at the historic first Starbucks store are seeking to unionize as the coffee retail giant and its union appear stalemated over their first contract.

The first Starbucks store opened in 1971 in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, and the store serves as a tourist site in Seattle.

Nailah Diaz, a Starbucks barista for about five years, three of those at Pike Place, said the Pike Place store can often have lines out the door, with waits up to two hours for tourists to come inside and look around.

She said workers at Pike Place are tasked with greater customer service responsibilities and the significant tourist traffic can bring about issues with disruptive customers and safety.

OK, corporate, what’s your game plan?

In response to the Pike’s Place location’s union drive, Anderson said the workers at the store earn more than typical Starbucks workers and that not all workers at the store are supportive of the union.

“More than typical,” eh? So, are we talking a living wage, or like 15 cents an hour more? Because people don’t unionize for no reason. It’s a lot of fucking work.

  • mortalblade@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    4·
    22 days ago

    I got fired from Starbucks last year for trying to unionize with my coworkers.

    When the managers found out I had been talking about unionizing our store, the very next day they called me to a captive audience meeting where they tried to dissuade and ultimately intimidate me not to pursue it any further.

    I and several other partners (some who werent even involved in the union yet) were fired very shortly afterwards for various pretexts.

    I knew beforehand that was a possible outcome, so I had conducted myself as a model employee hoping to at least make it hard for them to fire me, but of course they ended up just making something up to get rid of most of us.

    Would do it again tho. gl to these guys.