starbucks
Hormel reaches tentative agreement with union workers, and other labor news
Take a seat in the Break Room, the Reformer’s weekly roundup of labor news in Minnesota. Union meatpackers and Hormel reached a tentative agreement on a four-year contract for plants in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Georgia, the union announced on Thursday. The union, the United Food and Commercial Workers, did not release details of the […]
Starbucks workers could get rid of union at Mall of America store
Workers at a Starbucks in Mall of America have filed a petition with federal labor regulators to vote on getting rid of their union — just over a year after voting to unionize with Starbucks Workers United. The petition was signed by more than half of the workers at the store on the first floor of […]
Starbucks Workers United launches national bus tour in St. Paul
Unionized Starbucks baristas announced the start of a national bus tour in St. Paul on Monday in a new “counter offensive” in their campaign to pressure the company to negotiate with them over wages, benefits and working conditions. “They’re completely refusing to negotiate,” said Rev Beeby, a barista in Minneapolis and union organizer with Starbucks […]
Q&A with Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bernie Burnham on meeting labor’s moment
Bernie Burnham took the helm of the Minnesota AFL-CIO just over a year ago as the first person of color to lead the sprawling federation of labor unions. She arrived at an opportune time for labor, with enthusiasm for unions soaring and Democrats taking control of state government this year. As head of Minnesota AFL-CIO, […]
Bernie Sanders confronts former Starbucks CEO over union-busting allegations
WASHINGTON — Democratic senators at a hearing on Wednesday grilled the former CEO of Starbucks over allegations that the giant coffee company intimidated, harassed and fired workers who tried to form unions. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent and former presidential candidate who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, focused on Starbucks’ […]
Workers strike at two Minnesota Starbucks stores as part of national protest
Workers at two Starbucks stores in Minnesota launched a three-day strike on Friday as part of a nationwide protest against the company closing unionized stores and retaliating against union leaders. Baristas at more than 100 Starbucks locations across the country will participate in the weekend strike, according to Starbucks Workers United, which has won union […]
America is in the middle of a labor mobilization moment – organizers at big chains are leading
Labor Day 2022 comes smack bang in the middle of what is increasingly looking like a pivotal year in the history of American unions. The summer has seen a steady stream of workforce mobilizations. Employees at Trader Joe’s locations in Massachusetts and Minneapolis both voted to unionize. Meanwhile, restaurant chain Chipotle saw the first of […]
Unions for all
This Labor Day, unions are riding a wave of popularity. Maybe it’s because of corporate greed that is at levels not seen since the Gilded Age. Maybe it’s because the realities made clear during COVID-19 about who is essential. Maybe it’s just all of us being fed up with seeing a small handful flying into […]
Workers at Minneapolis Starbucks strike on first day of pumpkin spice season
Workers at a south Minneapolis Starbucks went on strike for the second time on Tuesday, hitting the company during one of its most important days of the year: the first day of pumpkin spice latte season. “Pumpkin spice is a hallmark of Starbucks, and it’s a really big day for them,” said Emily Mahoney, a […]
Starbucks workers vote to unionize Edina store, 5th in Minnesota
Starbucks workers at an Edina store voted 9-0 to unionize, becoming the fifth store in Minnesota to do so. The election at the Edina store — at 5122 Edina Industrial Blvd. — is the latest success in a wave of unionization drives across the country, with workers at more than 220 Starbucks stores voting to […]
New labor movement might save America just yet
“We’re being treated unfairly and we’re not going to take it.” — Kasey Copeland, Minneapolis Starbucks barista and union organizer, 2022 When the union organizer showed up, all the small town’s upstanding citizens agreed he was a disgrace. Here he was, still sweaty from yesterday’s train, slicked hair talking to workers about how they were […]
Starbucks workers strike at south Minneapolis store, join national wave of labor protests
Starbucks workers at a south Minneapolis store are on strike, joining workers in Boston, Seattle, Philadelphia and other cities who are ramping up pressure as they seek to negotiate union contracts. Customers who pulled up to the drive-thru on Sunday morning at 4712 Cedar Avenue were told there’d be no coffee today or tomorrow but […]