General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsStarbucks's CEO saw his unionizing baristas as a threat to his life's work.
SEATTLE Howard Schultz, the billionaire founder of Starbucks, stood alone beside the auditorium stage at the companys global headquarters. The room was packed with 200 of his top executives, all waiting for him to speak.
But first Schultz wanted them to hear from their employees across the country. The lights dimmed and their recorded voices filled the room.
-snip-
The 69-year-old CEO had always seen himself as the good guy of American capitalism, believing that his own wealth and Starbuckss rise to become one of the most ubiquitous brands on the planet was a direct outgrowth of the companys concern for its workers and their well-being.
Only now all of that was being challenged. Across America, workers who had labored through a once-in-a-century pandemic were concluding that they deserved better and were quitting or demanding more from their bosses, or in the case of some Starbucks workers, unionizing. An organizing effort that began in Buffalo in August 2021 with a handful of cafes had, by the time Schultz took the stage in early July, spread to more than 225 of Starbuckss 9,000 U.S. stores, sparking hopes of a revived labor movement.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/10/08/starbucks-union-ceo-howard-schultz/
Another legend in his own mind.
elleng
(130,908 posts)Irish_Dem
(47,058 posts)edhopper
(33,579 posts)Cost the same as at Dunkin Donuts and many other places.
It's the fancier coffee drinks that cost more.
Irish_Dem
(47,058 posts)That is why people pay so much for a cup of coffee.
And that is why the baristas are crucial to Starbuck's business model.
I am all for unionization. I just hate the "Starbucks is an overpriced effete shop for coffee snobs" trope.
brush
(53,778 posts)that some supervisor/manager in his far flung empire may exercise cruelty and treat employees unfairly, who then have no redress but to go for collective bargaining...unionization.
Has this guy lived in the real world of work and corporations all his life, or been isolated in a penthouse of gated, luxury compound for decades?
jaxexpat
(6,828 posts)Their passion for their life story's retelling grows with their profits.
But here's s tip. Great profits occur when a customer is happy to overpay. When that becomes a trend it should be a surprise to all. When the owner interprets that sequence of accidents into some sort of reward from god or for smart hard work, they start to act out as Republicans.
MichMan
(11,929 posts)malaise
(268,998 posts)Last edited Sun Oct 9, 2022, 12:55 PM - Edit history (1)
Greedy mo fos with no care for their workers
Ms. Toad
(34,072 posts)Every employee was given the option of staying home with full pay for around six months. After employees were called back to work, and they needed to downsize the staff, the staff were given several options, each of which has something attractive about it. Staff weren't guaranteed their choice, but most were able to get their first option. I don't recall all of the options specifically, but I know the outright severance came with fully paid healthcare for a period of time. That downsizing came with a comprehensive (and accurate) written description of the options and two meetings with supervisors.
In the exact same time frame, my job (which requires an advanced degree) was given a 4% pay cut, about which I was informed via a newspaper article.
Even before COVID, staff are only required to work 25 hours a week to have access to very cheap, comprehensive health insurance, and other attractive benefits.
Those are corporate policies, not local variations. So it is not accurate to say they have no care for their workers. (That is not to say that the company reacted properly to unionizing attempts, but they provide considerably better benefits for their baristas than virtually any other similarly skilled job I'm aware of.)
malaise
(268,998 posts)onethatcares
(16,168 posts)or just talked others into working for low bucks as he takes a cut?
Can he make a cafe' loco mucha latte with just a pinch of pumpkin spice and keep the order straight?