Starbucks Corporate Goons Swarm Union Drive

From email.

By now it's a familiar story: a massive company contends with a groundbreaking union drive, and sends in the corporate goon army to break it up.

This time it's Starbucks, and the union drive is going down at three stores in the Buffalo, NY area. Workers there filed for a union election back in August, and you'll never believe what happened next. Per the New York Times, Starbucks hired "two additional 'support managers' from out of state" who work alongside the actual baristas, basically making them nervous. Here's what one worker, Michelle Eisen, told the Times.

“For a lot of newer baristas, it’s an imposing force. It is not an easy job. It should not be complicated further by feeling like you’re having everything you’re doing or saying watched and listened to.”

Pretty clear what's going on here! New managers trucked in from out of state? But Starbucks went even further -- hiring tons of new workers and sometimes packing stores with superfluous employees, many of whom weren't part of the crew that originally pushed for the union. Here's another bit of the Times' reporting:

"A recent visit to a Starbucks near the airport, where workers have filed for a union election, turned up at least nine baristas behind the counter but only a handful of customers.

'It’s insane,' said Alexis Rizzo, a longtime Starbucks employee who has been a leader of the organizing campaign at the store. “Even if you’re just trying to run to the back to grab a gallon of milk, you now have to run an obstacle course to fit between all the folks who have no real reason to be there.'"

Shakeups in staffing, new managers, and oh yeah, plenty of captive audience meetings? That's some real spooky UnionBustOWeen behavior. Here's hoping the core group of organizers and employees up in Buffalo can stay strong and teach their new colleagues a thing or two about solidarity.