About 60 unionized Atlanta Starbucks workers have been able to continue their open-ended strike for a union contract since Nov. 13, thanks to support from the community, Starbucks Workers United’s (SBWU) strike fund, and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Atlanta chapter.
“This has been a really well thought-out action, and I’m very impressed with how smoothly it’s going, given the fact that we’ve only done a single-day strike once ever,” said a local SBWU strike captain, Danielle Stolton, who is a shift supervisor at a unionized Alpharetta Starbucks, located at 10830 Haynes Bridge Road.
Now 26 days in, the strike is SBWU’s longest-ever action, after sporadic one-day walkouts, to pressure Starbucks for a contract. After almost four years of stalled negotiations, the union is demanding that Starbucks finalize a union contract with increased staffing and higher pay for overstretched workers – and for the coffee giant to resolve over 700 unfair labor practice charges, most alleging union-busting.
According to union organizers, the number of striking workers nationally has tripled to 3,000 over the last month and the picket line has extended from 65 stores in 40 cities to over 145 stores in 105 cities. Starbucks contests those figures, saying the strike has shut down only 49 unionized shops – and that it has reopened 29 of them.
The union walkout initially closed the Alpharetta store where Stolton works, but Starbucks was able to re-open it with non-union workers, according to SBWU organizers. Striking workers have shut down two other unionized metro Atlanta stores, one at 1570 Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell and then, on Nov. 28, another located at 8500 Holcomb Bridge Road in Alpharetta.
There were initially 44 metro Atlanta workers on strike, which has increased to 60, Stolton said. Striking workers are making ends meet, thanks to the union strike fund, donations of food and supplies from neighbors, and fundraising spearheaded by the Atlanta DSA.
According to Atlanta DSA co-chair Matthew Nursey, the group has raised over $14,000 so far for striking workers. It is also helping the union run a strike kitchen and food pantry every Friday at the Unitarian Universalist Metro Atlanta North church in Roswell, where striking baristas can eat, socialized and pick up donated goods.
“Everyone has been getting paid,” said Stolton. The funds, she said, are covering close to the amount of missed paychecks so far for most workers, though supervisors like her are taking more of a pay cut. “I’m doing it because it’s the right thing to do and the important thing to do,” she said.
“We also were able to put aside $100 per kid for any of our parents on strike to try to make it a little easier of a holiday season,” Stolton added. “We want them to remember this as a holiday where they can be proud of their parents.”
The union is asking the public to boycott Starbucks and respect picket lines during the strike, which SBWU organizers have said could extend to other union shops.
“99% of our 17,000 U.S. locations remain open and welcoming customers —including many the union publicly stated would strike but never closed or have since reopened,” said Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson in a statement.
“Regardless of the union’s plans, we do not anticipate any meaningful disruption. When the union is ready to return to the bargaining table, we’re ready to talk,” the Starbucks statement said.
This is a thinly disguised strike supported by a socialist organization. These people need to see that these jobs arr not meant to be a career, but merely a stepping stone. They have very little support from the great majority of America, as well as the dsa. Go back to work and stand up on your own feet
Sad