The mercury slowly inched toward zero and the wind was gusty, but that didn’t stop a small group of employees from Starbucks, 3704 Silver Lake Road, from standing on the picket line Saturday, Dec. 17. The group carried placards that protested unfair labor practices and called out Starbucks Interim CEO Howard Schultz to the bargaining table. Another pointed drive-up customers toward the Caribou store a block away.
Speaking for the group, Anton Deborst said the effort was part of a three-day national strike called by 100 unionized Starbucks stores. Starbucks Workers United, the labor group organizing the effort, said the strike will be the longest in the year-old unionization campaign, and it included 1,000 baristas. More than 264 of Starbucks’ 9,000 company-run U.S. stores have voted to unionize since late last year, according to the Associated Press. St. Anthony store workers unionized in May.
Deborst said several union stores had been shut down by the company, and attempts to get management to come to the bargaining table had thus far been fruitless. He said the company offered better benefits and working hours to non-union employees.
Below: Striking workers on the picket line Saturday, Dec. 17 outside the Starbucks, 3704 Silver Lake Road, St. Anthony Village. (Photo by Cynthia Sowden)
