Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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Some Starbucks locations consider unionizing following complaints of overwork, lack of protection - POSSIBLE UNIONS coming soon! It's possible! Be safe, but be brave! (thestar.com)
submitted by Onemoagainagain
Onemoagainagain [OP] 13 points 2y ago
Just saw this in the Star! It's exciting! As a Québec partner myself, I really hope these unions come soon! I've been talking about it slowly with my fellow partners at my stores and we're starting our own stuff. Good to hear we're not alone.
Message me if you have leads or questions!
Message me if you have leads or questions!
jas0nd3an 11 points 2y ago
I talked about it with my store but everyone was too afraid to get behind it with me. That or you have the partners that have been their 7 years and say, “that’s just the way it is here. We have lots of wonderful benefits that make up for our lack of pay! You should consider yourself lucky!” “Okay I don’t use those benefits as my wife gets better ones from her job.” “You still get free coffee blah blah blah.” “Okay, I barely drink coffee. Just because I’m good at making drinks doesn’t mean I drink them. I rarely use my markout a. Like at all.” “Well, that’s your fault for not taking advantage.” “I’m sorry I don’t want to waste my calories on sugar and milk. I try to stay in shape, work out, and eat healthy.” “Oh well! Then leave!” That’s the response. Lol.
Onemoagainagain [OP] 4 points 2y ago
Those benefits are dog shit lmao. My uni gives me benefits literally 10x better.
None of these kids have gotten injured or sick while at work and have had to use these benefits. Physiotherapy and psych, medication benefits get eaten up within a couple months, easy.
Don't talk about *unionizing* though. Talk about what they don't like about their gig. About how they're being forced onto the frontlines of a pandemic to serve coffee to ingrates who get them and eachother sick, have to bust their asses because of understaffing, and even then are being drilled for dress code violations, slight tardiness and all this shit.
Also, if you can manage it, talk about the labour theory of value: The difference between the cost of production (salary, wear and tear, power etc) and what the owner/boss collects is by definition value created by workers. Owners are by definition not paying workers for the value they create- while *very often* not creating any themselves. They just extract, exploit, grow, concentrate, repeat.
This should be an integral part of the conversation eventually, but it can be off putting for NA workers to talk about marxist economics, power dynamics and all that stuff.
None of these kids have gotten injured or sick while at work and have had to use these benefits. Physiotherapy and psych, medication benefits get eaten up within a couple months, easy.
Don't talk about *unionizing* though. Talk about what they don't like about their gig. About how they're being forced onto the frontlines of a pandemic to serve coffee to ingrates who get them and eachother sick, have to bust their asses because of understaffing, and even then are being drilled for dress code violations, slight tardiness and all this shit.
Also, if you can manage it, talk about the labour theory of value: The difference between the cost of production (salary, wear and tear, power etc) and what the owner/boss collects is by definition value created by workers. Owners are by definition not paying workers for the value they create- while *very often* not creating any themselves. They just extract, exploit, grow, concentrate, repeat.
This should be an integral part of the conversation eventually, but it can be off putting for NA workers to talk about marxist economics, power dynamics and all that stuff.
SluttyHufflepuff 3 points 2y ago
Green bean here that is well into adulthood. Covid drove me behind the counter and the first thing I asked is “why tf arent y’all unionized”.
The record scratched, a milk jug was dropped, caramel farted forth, the cold foam blender whirred in the background.
The fear of god has been put into baristas as a community over unions. That should tell us something...
The record scratched, a milk jug was dropped, caramel farted forth, the cold foam blender whirred in the background.
The fear of god has been put into baristas as a community over unions. That should tell us something...
Onemoagainagain [OP] 5 points 2y ago
Absolutely! In the last 60 years, capital has made a concerted effort to build up the narrative that they're all we got. We're in a panglossian "best of all worlds" where many don't even know if they'll have a job or be able to pay rent a year, month, week from every moment. "But there's no other option, and hey, free coffee right" Nah fuck that. We need to take back our power in the workplace, and take back the value they steal from us every fucking day.
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If you're in Canada, $1 for your district and ask to speak to an organizer, get the lay of the land, and see what's possible - no - what's necessary.
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If you're in Canada, $1 for your district and ask to speak to an organizer, get the lay of the land, and see what's possible - no - what's necessary.
[deleted] -1 points 2y ago
Unfortunately with unions come union “dues”. When I worked in a union job we had to pay like $13 per week to the union just to simply be part of it
gone_gay 6 points 2y ago
That’s literally like an hours work in exchange for better conditions literally what are u talking abt
[deleted] 0 points 2y ago
We didn’t really have better conditions, in my opinion they didn’t do much other than take your money. They were there to call if you had a complaint. But that was just my experience it might be different for other people
Onemoagainagain [OP] 5 points 2y ago
The USW (the union that lots of Sbux Canada employees are going with) has a 1,45% due+ 2c on the hour. If you work 40hrs @ 14$h thats only 8.92 :(40hx14$=560$ = (560x0.0145) + (40hx0.02$)= 8.92$)
8.92$ is waaaay less than we're paying for insurance, and a union will eventually fight for better salaries, better insurance, better working conditions etc.
8.92$ is definitely worth a union fam.
You have to keep in mind that a) not all unions charge the same for dues (these dues are super cheap, I mean come on); b) Your dues are a percentage of your paycheck. So while nominally they may be "large" that's just a reflection of a large salary as a whole; c) unionized gigs pay way more than non-unionized ones
Why do unionized workplaces decide to remain unionized and continue the union fight if "unions are too expensive"? Maybe it's because they get really good results and there workers know it...? nah couldn't be...
8.92$ is waaaay less than we're paying for insurance, and a union will eventually fight for better salaries, better insurance, better working conditions etc.
8.92$ is definitely worth a union fam.
You have to keep in mind that a) not all unions charge the same for dues (these dues are super cheap, I mean come on); b) Your dues are a percentage of your paycheck. So while nominally they may be "large" that's just a reflection of a large salary as a whole; c) unionized gigs pay way more than non-unionized ones
Why do unionized workplaces decide to remain unionized and continue the union fight if "unions are too expensive"? Maybe it's because they get really good results and there workers know it...? nah couldn't be...
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