Last Updated on December 20, 2022, 11:32 AM | Published: April 1, 2022
OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — Baristas at the NW 36th and May Starbucks in Oklahoma City have sent a letter to the acting CEO Howard Schultz expressing their intent to organize for union representation.
This makes five stores now in the larger Oklahoma City metro to organize and work toward an official election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB.)
Reasons
The baristas state in the letter that they “view this decision as the best possible route for us to move forward and grow with Starbucks as a company.”
Unique from the other four Starbucks letters is specifically saying that “most of the partners identify as part of OKCs LGBT+ community.”
The largest concerns voiced by the baristas is the cutting of hours as the company became more profitable with “record-breaking sales” last year.
The letter says that many of their “trans” partners rely on the “trans-inclusive” healthcare plans Starbucks offers. Yet, keeping up with minimum hours worked to keep those benefits has become “impossible for all partners, not just at our store, but all across the country.”
The baristas say that the drastic reduction in hours even as business continues to boom for the company results in some baristas having their hours reduced from 30-38 hours per week to five to eight hours per week and “are experiencing extremely close touches with homelessness due to these reductions in hours.”
The statement from the store baristas says, “the outcomes could become devastating for many partners and their families.”
Stronger together
As has been done with previous barista union organizing letters, the baristas at the 36th and May point to their buy-in of original company values and concepts as one of the reasons for unionizing.
“We are stronger working together, which is why we understand the importance of our decision to create a union,” reads the statement. “With our union we’ll have a voice when it comes to accountability regarding our working conditions and decisions impacting us workers.”
Again, referencing original company values that seem to be lost in day-to-day operations, the baristas reference the practice of keeping an empty seat at Starbucks’ corporate meetings to represent the baristas.
“Current conditions don’t reflect what a true partnership looks like, and we believe it’s time for Starbucks to fill that empty seat.”
Nationwide effort store-by-store
NW 36th and May store is the latest to join other local stores and over 100 nationwide to actively and publicly seek union representation by Workers United, an affiliate union of the world-wide Service Employees International Union (SEIU.)
Free Press has reported baristas in the Oklahoma City area that have organized and petitioned the NLRB. Here are our reports from earlier:
- 63rd and Grand, Nichols Hills
- Highway 9 and Classen, Norman
- 23rd and Robinson, Oklahoma City
- Bricktown, Oklahoma City
The first in Oklahoma to petition was the Nichols Hills store baristas which now has their election scheduled for May 6.
The movement continues to grow by the day, causing concern among investors, some of whom have called on the company to cease their anti-union tactics that consultants have coached them to do.
The letter
Here is the letter sent to Starbucks from the Starbucks Workers United Organizing Committee:
Starbucks-Unionization-36th-and-May
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
