Dear Friends:
CAW Starbucks UnStrike for Justice and Dignity
UnStriking Starbucks workers want and need your solidarity and assistance to help 'Send Starbucks A Message'. You are receiving e-bulletin because of your progressive history of advocating for social justice issues. Please forward this message to your own networks as broadly as possible. We apologize for the inevitable cross-posting. Please don't be annoyed. Take pride in your multiple connections!
On May 13, 2002 140 Starbucks Baristas and Shift Supervisors at 10 Starbucks outlets in Vancouver, British Columbia, members of the Canadian Auto Workers - CAW Canada Local 3000 - began our CAW Starbucks UnStrike for Justice and Dignity. 'UnStrike?', what the heck is an 'UnStrike' you ask. An UnStrike is a legal strike method under B.C. labour law. Our CAW Starbucks UnStrike for Justice and Dignity is a necessary tactic borne out of an unequal balance of power. It is designed to attack Starbucks corporate image as well as exercise economic pressure on the world's largest coffee corporation. We are asking the trade union movement and progressive people across Canada and internationally to cease purchasing at all Starbucks outlets except our 12 units, including both Cambie St. and Westbank, for the duration of our UnStrike. There are almost 160 Starbucks outlets in B.C. alone.
During our CAW Starbucks UnStrike for Justice and Dignity our members will continue to work, while engaging in a variety of activities at work that would not normally be tolerated by the huge Starbucks Corporation, such as disregarding corporate dress code, displaying tattoos and piercings, dramatic hair colours and more. Additionally our members will be handing leaflets to customers as they serve them asking fair minded people to 'Send Starbucks A Message'. Off the job our members will be leafleting neighborhoods, customers at other non-union Starbucks outlets, public and political events and using the internet to help spread our campaign broadly as possible. Our members will also be approaching Starbucks Baristas and Shift Supervisors at non-union outlets to join the Union and help build a stronger voice for all Starbucks employees.
CAW Canada National President Buzz Hargrove made special mention of the CAW Starbucks UnStrike for Justice and Dignity in his opening address to the 900 Delegates and Staff attending the CAW Collective Bargaining and Political Action Convention in Toronto May 7 - 10, 2002. The Convention theme 'Bargaining in Tough Times' aptly countered the anti-union position being taken by the Starbucks Corporation. Buzz Hargrove said:
We have a small group of people who are struggling in the province of British Columbia at Starbucks. Starbucks is a billion dollar corporation, $ 2.7 billion in sales last year. We have 140 members in 11 Starbucks outlets that are struggling to get a new third collective agreement. And the company is saying no to every proposal that we put on the table. They are absolutely determined that they are going to break the union that this small group of young activists has put in place. And I want to say to them "Shame on you. Shame on you as a corporation." A billion dollar corporation has an obligation to bargain with these workers. An obligation to respect their right to have a union. And we want to commit that we are going to work with them and their staff and their "unstrike" strategy to pressure the company and we may be calling on all of you across this country to picket the Starbucks outlets in Toronto, in Winnipeg, where ever they pop up until we get an agreement that respects the rights of our members to their union, and to bargain on their issues."
Starbucks has shown itself to be a paternalistic, anti-union employer despite their veil of social responsibility. Our union membership are protected by a single master agreement. Starbucks is refusing to bargain on even a single union proposal and is seeking to effectively eliminate the seniority provisions we have achieved in the first two collective agreements . Wage improvements we have achieved in previous agreements have immediately been given to all non-union stores in B.C. while management spreads misinformation that the only difference between union and non-union stores is the fact that union members pay unions dues. The fact that such statements are not true doesn't stop Starbucks' anti-union mischief. Starbucks management does not mention the fact that seniority is a key factor in scheduling hours of work: that union stores have guaranteed overtime provisions; that employees in union stores are entitled to be scheduled for two consecutive days off rather than split days off; or that union stores have access to an effective grievance procedure with an effective union to successfully challenge Starbucks' unreasonable decisions or unfair performance reviews and more. Starbucks' purpose is clear, to undermine the union's efforts to improve the lives of Starbucks employees in order to maintain low wages and exceptionally high profits.
We currently have live complaints at the B.C. Labour Relations Board over allegations of corporate inspired decertification efforts at 3 of our Starbucks outlets. The Operating Engineers union, who are certified for the maintenance workers at Starbucks' Kent, Washington roasting plant, just achieved their first collective agreement in November, 2001 after a 1 years of frustrating bargaining and having to fight back a decertification campaign. You can guess who was behind that campaign. Congratulations to the Operating Engineers and their unionized Starbucks Kent roasting plant workers!
Starbucks was recently forced to settled a major class action lawsuits for $18 million US$ based on challenges by and of the status of Starbucks California Store Managers and Assistant Store Managers over whether they were exempt employees under California wage and hour laws - see <www.Starbucks.com> <http://www.Starbucks.com> - archived press release of April 19, 2002. The terms of the settlement apparently prohibit Starbucks and the plaintiffs from making further public comment - likely a demand by Starbucks to limit the negative public relations impact. While not stated in the press release, publishing of the release on Starbucks' own web must have been a condition of the settlement - likely a demand by the plaintiffs to help broadcast their victory. Clearly all is not sweetness and light in Starbucksland!
The CAW's one dozen stores are a unique beachhead of unionization - multiple locations under a master agreement - not just among the almost 160 Starbucks stores in British Columbia, but across North America and around the world. Starbucks Corporation, headquartered in Seattle, Washington, is the world's largest coffee company. With annual sales projected to break $3 billion US$, Starbucks has increased its projected rate of expansion to add at least 1,200 new stores over the next year - more than 3 new stores every day of every week - to swell its existing stock of over 5,000 stores, all of which is financed out of its retained enormous profits. Despite troubles elsewhere in the global economy Starbucks' annual rate of return is a whopping 31.5%!
Send Starbucks A Message
We are asking for your help to Send Starbucks A Message. Please write Howard Schultz, Starbucks Chairman and Chief Global Strategist, Starbucks Corporation, 2401 Utah Avenue South, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A., 98134 or email <hschultz at starbucks.com> <mailto:hschultz at starbucks.com> and tell him you expect Starbucks to bargain honestly for a fair collective agreement for CAW Starbucks UnStrikers, please copy Orin Smith, Starbucks CEO at <osmith at Starbucks.com> <mailto:osmith at Starbucks.com> , Christian Codrington, Starbucks Partner Relations Manager - Western Canada at <ccodring at Starbucks.com> <mailto:ccodring at Starbucks.com> and please copy our CAW Starbucks UnStrikers at <Starbucks at caw.ca.> <mailto:Starbucks at caw.ca.> . Our CAW National Union website <www.caw.ca> <http://www.caw.ca> has a lot information on our CAW Starbucks UnStrike for Justice and Dignity including a 'hot button' to Send Starbucks A Message email. Log on. Check it out!
Please circulate this email version of our CAW Starbucks UnStrike bulletin as broadly as you are able via your mail networks to help us spread the word. Below is attached the text of one page CAW Starbucks UnStrike leaflet which we are handing out to customers and the general public. Please feel free to print out our leaflet and circulate it as widely as possible.
In Solidarity,
CAW Starbucks UnStrikers <Starbucks at caw.ca> <mailto:Starbucks at caw.ca>
CAW Starbucks UnStrike for Justice and Dignity
We are 140 members of CAW Canada Local 3000 representing the interests of 12 Starbucks stores in British Columbia. We are on UnStrike for Justice and Dignity. We are asking for your support to Send Starbucks a Message. For months Starbucks has refused to honestly bargain for a renewed collective agreement. They continue to reject every single one of our proposals: health and safety, earned sick leave, health and welfare benefits or fair wages. Even worse, Starbucks wants to eliminate our current contractual rights to job security and scheduling in keeping with seniority. Starbucks is taking a fundamentally anti-union position!
Huge Profits - Rapid Growth Starbucks revenue will likely top $3 billion US this year. They plan to add 1,200+ stores to their current 5,000 stores, that's more than 3 new stores every day of every week! There are about 160 stores in B.C. Annual return is a whopping 31.5%! Starbucks bargaining position has nothing to do with ability to pay, rather it is an exercise of raw power. Starbucks Cards = Interest Free Loan Starbucks has sold over 4 million Starbucks 'smart' Cards since Christmas, the majority in the U.S. Convenience masks a huge cash grab. If the average card holder puts $30 of their money on their card, that represents a $120 million interest free loan from cardholders to Starbucks Corporation! Lose the card and the 'loan' becomes a gift. And what do cardholders get in exchange for their generous interest free loan? Why Starbucks' products at full price! There is no discount for customer loyalty. The card has reduced the use of cash and customer tips. Barista income has declined about 25 per hour or about 2% on average. Starbucks wins while customers and Baristas (both union and non-union) pay. We ask that you deplete your Starbucks Card and don't replenish it.
Send Starbucks A Message We are asking for your help to Send Starbucks A Message. Please write Howard Schultz, Starbucks Chairman and Chief Global Strategist, Starbucks Corporation, 2401 Utah Avenue South, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A., 98134 or email <hschultz at starbucks.com> <mailto:hschultz at starbucks.com> and tell him you expect Starbucks to bargain honestly for a fair collective agreement for CAW Starbucks UnStrikers. For more information about our CAW Starbucks UnStrike for Justice and Dignity check out our excellent CAW Canada website at <www.caw.ca> <http://www.caw.ca> to Send Starbucks A Message using our Starbucks 'hot button' or via 'Campaigns and Issues'. Log on. Check it out!
Thank you. CAW Starbucks UnStrikers - May 13, 2002
Please patronize the following Vancouver and one Westbank Starbucks:
2531 East Hastings St.- east of Nanaimo St. 3451 Kingsway - at Tyne, west of Joyce St. 1702 Robson St. - east of Denman St. 1095 Howe St. - at Helmecken 811 Hornby St. - across from Vancouver Courts 1641 Davie St. - west of Denman; Royal Centre Mall - Dunsmuir entrance 1395 Main St. - at the Skytrain 1752 Commercial Drive - at 2rd Ave. 3492 Cambie St. - at 19th Ave. 1015 Denman St. - near Coast Stanley Park Hotel 22 - 3645 Gossett Rd. - Westbank Centre
Please do not patronize non-union Starbucks outlets for the duration of our CAW Starbucks UnStrike for Justice and Dignity. Thank you.
For more information log on to www.caw.ca <http://www.caw.ca> or email: Starbucks at caw.ca <mailto:CAWStarbucksUnStrike at caw.ca> or call CAW Canada Local 3000 at (604) 526-3038 or write us at CAW Canada Local 3000, 326 12th St., New Westminster, B.C., V3M 4H6.