Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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A question about unionizing that I haven't seen addressed that makes me concerned. (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by sailorgrumpycat
So, I've seen a lot of talk on here and r/starbucks about the unionization efforts that have happened in the past and recently in Buffalo.
The one thing I haven't seen addressed, and the one thing that makes me think even though I'm not against unionizing (in fact I support it), that it would likely not work in many stores (mine included) is that my store and I imagine many others has recently become a revolving door of teenage employees on their first job with no experience or knowledge of large scale member organizations. The number of [m]'s on our schedule has never been higher, and i just feel like it would be futile to attempt something of this magnitude with a bunch of what are legally children.
Seriously, how do you get past that? Any pressure from corporate or management and all these green beans and minors will likely disappear quicker than our toffee nut syrup did looking for some other entry level service job. I can only imagine unionization efforts mattering to our small percentage of employees who aren't green beans and minors which is mostly just the ssv's.
The one thing I haven't seen addressed, and the one thing that makes me think even though I'm not against unionizing (in fact I support it), that it would likely not work in many stores (mine included) is that my store and I imagine many others has recently become a revolving door of teenage employees on their first job with no experience or knowledge of large scale member organizations. The number of [m]'s on our schedule has never been higher, and i just feel like it would be futile to attempt something of this magnitude with a bunch of what are legally children.
Seriously, how do you get past that? Any pressure from corporate or management and all these green beans and minors will likely disappear quicker than our toffee nut syrup did looking for some other entry level service job. I can only imagine unionization efforts mattering to our small percentage of employees who aren't green beans and minors which is mostly just the ssv's.
Merced_x 9 points 1y ago
Watch how fast any store crumbles without their experienced baristas/SSVs.
sailorgrumpycat [OP] 3 points 1y ago
That's my point though, it can't just be the ssv's that try to unionize, because there aren't enough of us in the stores.
Merced_x 3 points 1y ago
I mean technically it could be just the SSVs. Who would run the store every day? The manager by themselves? The barista that’s been there for 2 months that goes go to high school? That’s what I mean
sailorgrumpycat [OP] 2 points 1y ago
But see that blade cuts both ways, if the shifts all support a union but the baristas don't or get pressured out, then the store still doesn't run because a shift can't bar/register/pull/manage money/dt/clean/etc all by themselves, we need baristas too, which means they would have to be a part of the union, and i don't see how to get over that hump.
HotDogClouds 1 points 1y ago
If the ssv's leave, nobody can check temperature,do food pull, and any and all closing things. Except for cleaning. If the ssv's lead the way and tell the others to follow, you bet they will dip. What else would they do, without their ssv's on the floor?
OneRoseDark 6 points 1y ago
I mean, grocery stores are also staffed with legal children and there are parts of the country where those are unionized.
Plus you forget that kids now are very different from kids 20 years ago. They're very informed, very passionate, and have a strong sense of "right". They're already organizing politically. Unionizing is frankly right up the kids' alley right now.
Plus you forget that kids now are very different from kids 20 years ago. They're very informed, very passionate, and have a strong sense of "right". They're already organizing politically. Unionizing is frankly right up the kids' alley right now.
_Pulltab_ 3 points 1y ago
The challenge is, kids will come in and accept an existing union at a grocery store that is staffed with 100+ people (and most probably not minors) but in an organizing attempt, you need at least 30% to at least get a petition and then for the actual vote they need 50% +1. If you are a store of 30 employees (does that even exist anymore?) and half are minors on a revolving door, you are going to have a hard time getting a vote through with 16 votes unless you have an LOT of SSVs who were included in the bargaining unit and they are lockstep in agreement about certification and even then, you would need at least a handful of employees to be invested enough to vote.
OneRoseDark 7 points 1y ago
Sounds like you're saying that anyone under 18 would rather just leave for another job they know will treat them just as badly, rather than do any work toward changing the game. What I'm telling you is that Gen Z doesn't wanna play the game at all, so in general I think they'd be more likely to fight back and support unionization efforts. After all, they have a lot less to lose than those of us with rent and kids.
_Pulltab_ 1 points 1y ago
No, I’m just saying that an organizing event is a long haul and teenagers in these jobs don’t generally stick around long enough to make the vote, or won’t show up for the vote, or are too busy with other things to even think about it. 18/19 maybe. 16, I doubt it. Also many of the younger ones don’t have enough life experience to understand where their union dues are going and “what’s in it for them”.
This is based on my experience working in large organized companies where I worked closely with the unions as an HR manager. By far the least involved we’re the 18-24 crowd. Also my experience working for 2+ years at Starbucks and interacting with the kids in our store. Not saying they’re lazy or selfish, not saying unions aren’t worth fighting for, just agreeing with the OP that it would be an uphill battle to organize with a heavy population of minors in this environment. They aren’t worried about many of the things the union stands for, aside from wages, but that’s only one piece of the contract, and generally a relatively minor one, from a negotiating standpoint.
This is based on my experience working in large organized companies where I worked closely with the unions as an HR manager. By far the least involved we’re the 18-24 crowd. Also my experience working for 2+ years at Starbucks and interacting with the kids in our store. Not saying they’re lazy or selfish, not saying unions aren’t worth fighting for, just agreeing with the OP that it would be an uphill battle to organize with a heavy population of minors in this environment. They aren’t worried about many of the things the union stands for, aside from wages, but that’s only one piece of the contract, and generally a relatively minor one, from a negotiating standpoint.
heathermj10 2 points 1y ago
I think we should have a little bit more faith in these kids!! I work at a licensed kiosk in a grocery store, and the kids will ask about the union or sometimes complain about the dues, but I just explain the benefits to them! I also let them know they might not see the immediate positives, but the more we unionize the better it will get! a lot of times they don’t understand what unions do or why we have them, and i’ve found that when I explain it they aren’t as opposed. also like well over 50% of the employees in my store are between the ages of 16-22, so more people in this age demographic have experience than I think we realize!!
Logical-Doubt-6021 2 points 1y ago
Yeah I'm a minor and i would love to unionize. I would for sure stand up. Plus if thing get bad I don't really have anything to lose..
[deleted] 1 points 1y ago
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