Omaha Steve's Labor Group

Back in the early to mid 1990s, I worked for a universal remote control company in their customer service division (call center and repair). We were housed in a warehouse with no air conditioning so during the summer it was frequently over 120 degrees.

We were getting paid half of what the people who did the same job for other similar companies were making. So I got another guy to go with me to meet with some union organizers. We started talking to people about the possibilities.

I had my annual performance review -- 96 , highest ever in the company. Two days later they fired me.

Met with the union to talk about our next steps. Take them to court.

But the school I was teaching at part time, came up with extra duties for me (tutor struggling kids, work on a curriculum rewrite, etc) and I was actually making more money than before. Which is the problem -- you can sue for wrongful termination and get lost wages -- but if you get a better paying job, you don't have lost wages.

Companies count on the fact that people who are leading organizing unions are smart and savvy enough to find better employers at better pay so that their is nothing to sue for.

Thye never worry about getting hit with any fines for bad labor practices -- the government rarely does anything about it. Most likely Starbucks is counting on the same. If you know your wages are substandard -- you will likely find a better employer to work for.

It is totally illegal -- but it works because the type of people who would try to stat a union will go out and find a better job.