Trying to unionize despite union-busting efforts? Here's what you should look out for

[douglas9]

When Angel Krempa, a 23-year-old Starbucks shift supervisor in Depew, New York, shared research on unionization with her coworkers, her work hours were suddenly limited and changed three times during her unionization effort. She was also denied “keyholder” coverage and could no longer run a shift.

This isn’t an isolated incident. Earlier this month, a Starbucks store in Memphis fired seven employees—now known as the Memphis 7—seeking to unionize. The company declared that the firings were unrelated to their unionizing efforts, but Starbucks Workers United, the group helping Starbucks stores unionize, said the company is engaging in union-busting tactics. The fired employees include five out of the six union committee leaders and two pro-union workers, The Washington Post reported.

“Unionizing can be extremely intimidating, especially when you work for such a large corporation that can and will replace you in a second,” Krempa said.

https://prismreports.org/2022/02/17/trying-to-unionize-despite-union-busting-efforts-heres-what-you-should-look-out-for/

[JT45242]

1. been there...done that

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.