Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
↑
16
↓
Officially a unionized barista 🎉 but I have mixed opinions (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by BatWeary
I’m pro-union, let me make that clear. At first I was like, hell yeah, let’s unionize! But after we actually started the process I started getting a bad feeling about it. The shift in charge of it was so obsessive it was the only thing he could focus on. If another store filed, it was a party. If they won, it was a party. Unions are all he talks about. Everything was retaliation to him (which there was def some, but my manager seemed pretty in-favor of a union). For example, someone called out sick and he accused my SM of telling them to call out sick in retaliation. If you tried to explain that wasn’t the case, he would just throw a fit.
It was starting to cause issues along the way because like I said, it was his only focus. Every other word out of his mouth has been about a union for months. I totally understand wanting better work conditions, and I’m sure most of us agree. It almost felt like he was telling us we had no choice but to vote yes (which I know isn’t true but it’s felt very forced).
Do I feel like we need a union? Yes, absolutely. I’m happy we got it. But I swear my store feels like a cult now because of it. Someone I’m friends with voted no because she also feels like things are going to be even worse now…and I feel the same way. Like if you don’t say yes you’ll be shunned or some shit.
Here’s to hopefully a better store 🥂
It was starting to cause issues along the way because like I said, it was his only focus. Every other word out of his mouth has been about a union for months. I totally understand wanting better work conditions, and I’m sure most of us agree. It almost felt like he was telling us we had no choice but to vote yes (which I know isn’t true but it’s felt very forced).
Do I feel like we need a union? Yes, absolutely. I’m happy we got it. But I swear my store feels like a cult now because of it. Someone I’m friends with voted no because she also feels like things are going to be even worse now…and I feel the same way. Like if you don’t say yes you’ll be shunned or some shit.
Here’s to hopefully a better store 🥂
peepeepoopaccount 6 points 1y ago
How is being in a union different from before?
BatWeary [OP] 4 points 1y ago
no idea yet 🤷♀️ the vote was just counted so there’s zero changes yet. it’s going to be a while before i can compare the before and after of my store. all i know is this union stuff is causing a massive divide and it’s frustrating to work with people that are acting like kids over it. i just want a store that gets along 😩
plantainpapii 1 points 1y ago
Keep us posted
fuwaldah 2 points 1y ago
I don't trust Starbucks nor do I trust the union.
50plusbarista 1 points 9m ago
So, how has it been for the people who did not sign a card? I'm sure very difficult. And, how about the management, what are they doing? Your store must have constant tension in it. I'm so sorry.
BatWeary [OP] 1 points 9m ago
TBH everything has been at a standstill for a while. The shift mentioned in the post was fired soon after (not union related, it was some pretty serious stuff he did). We haven’t had our bargaining agreement or signed the cards or anything yet.
Management has been pretty good, actually. My DM pushes anti-union propaganda on us still but we sort of expected that tbh. I have a feeling our SM is secretly pro-union though. She looks like she dreads telling us things that are anti union & will wink when saying “whether you vote *yes* or no, it’s totally up to you”.
Our store is pretty much split down the middle, so half are pro union and half are anti. Tension is def high because of it & I won’t be surprised if people leave when the time to sign cards comes.
Compared to a lot of stories I hear from stores that are unionizing, my store seems to have quite a bit of internal support
Management has been pretty good, actually. My DM pushes anti-union propaganda on us still but we sort of expected that tbh. I have a feeling our SM is secretly pro-union though. She looks like she dreads telling us things that are anti union & will wink when saying “whether you vote *yes* or no, it’s totally up to you”.
Our store is pretty much split down the middle, so half are pro union and half are anti. Tension is def high because of it & I won’t be surprised if people leave when the time to sign cards comes.
Compared to a lot of stories I hear from stores that are unionizing, my store seems to have quite a bit of internal support
50plusbarista 1 points 9m ago
Oh wow, that doesn't sound good. And I wondered if it was possible that manager might be pro-union. Sounds like you do have some support there. Thank you for answering my questions. I appreciate you.
cartwheelkristina 1 points 1y ago
Honestly, it seems like the issue is with the partner themselves. I have worked at both unionized amd non-union jobs (though none that have gone through this process) and...it was 0% cult like. The union was barely talked about unless the contract was ending soon or when a union rep visited the store.
I hope this partner sees the light and chills out a little and that things improve for you!
I hope this partner sees the light and chills out a little and that things improve for you!
Jeff0093 -19 points 1y ago
Not employed by Starbucks might be looking in the near future, I personally rather not deal with a union and fees, I’d just would like to work hard part time and get heath insurance. I don’t see how a union will help the decent benefits Starbucks offers currently
BatWeary [OP] 1 points 1y ago
That’s what I’m saying. I didn’t vote, despite being pro-union. Literally all of our store’s issues would be solved by adequate staffing. I can’t say the same for all stores (like my OG store….that place had to have a curse or some shit), some absolutely need a union for fair treatment. Maybe I’m so traumatized from my last store that I don’t realize how bad things are, or everyone else just wants a union because they’re upset everyday isn’t perfect.
SmolLizardManth 1 points 1y ago
It’s more about having the contract to guarantee we have adequate staffing and hours. You wont see the big changes until you have your contact but it’s not just you at the mercy of what the company decides to now. My store is really busy but we can’t turn off mobile orders unless we call a higher up and they will sometimes turn them off for half an hour. There’s also no limit on how many come through. We’ll sometimes have 60 orders in a minute come in.
You can design your contact to fit your individual store needs. If there’s an issue with management it’s not just you dealing with it on your own now.
You can design your contact to fit your individual store needs. If there’s an issue with management it’s not just you dealing with it on your own now.
This nonprofit website is run by volunteers.
Please contribute if you can. Thank you!
Our mission is to provide everyone with access to large-
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
©2023 HumbleCat Inc • HumbleCat is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Michigan, USA.