MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – A Starbucks store in Oxford, Mississippi, is trying to be the first unionized Starbucks in the state. It’s a movement that has taken root in more than 100 Starbucks across the county.
In Memphis, seven employees said they were fired after trying to unionize. On Wednesday, a national movement took up those former employees’ cause.
Reverend Dr. William Barber took up the issue of the Memphis 7, the name now given to the group of seven fired Starbucks employees. He visited Memphis Wednesday. He said he was there to stand with the fired employees. He said the firings showed ‘greed and meanness’ on the part of Starbucks.
Starbucks told Action News 5 the employees at the Poplar Starbucks near Highland were fired last month for violating safety and security policies, but the workers say they were fired for trying to unionize.
Barber and his Poor People’s Campaign demonstrated with the group and others for workers rights accusing Starbucks of union busting.
“I ain’t gonna let no Starbucks turn me around,” Rev. Barber sang, leading the crowd. “I’m going to keep on a walking.”
Walking is what the group did. They walked from the Benjamin L Hooks Library down Poplar to the Starbucks location where the group was fired.
“This union would fight for these young folks who want to work, who want to contribute to society, who have not one time complained about working,” Rev. Barber said. “What they’re complaining about are working conditions and the lack of the kind of pay that would respect their humanity.”
“This is about me fighting for every single barista going through this treatment,” fired Starbucks employee Beto Sanchez said.
Along with the complaints regarding pay, the fired employees also said they were not treated humanely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Shouldn’t have to be scared to go to work and test positive for COVID or not,” Sanchez said. “I should not have to worry about that while working for this company.
It’s something a Starbucks Spokesperson vehemently denies.
“All of our leaders have been empowered to make changes that make sense to their neighborhood including shortening store hours and moving to takeout only. We do not make our partners work if they are sick.”
According to Starbucks Workers United about 120 Starbucks stores across the country are trying to form a union.
A store in Oxford is the first in Mississippi to do so. The group announced the effort in a letter to Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson this month.
In the letter the workers say they have had to deal with racism, homophobia and transphobia on a nearly every day basis. It also mentions a manager has been “under investigation” with no updates.
Jaz Brisack is a University of Mississippi alum and works at the first unionized Starbucks in Buffalo, New York. She’s now helping the Oxford workers.
“Starbucks is a company that says it is progressive in all these issues, but it doesn’t protect workers when they encounter racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia,” Briskack said. “They told us in Buffalo we weren’t allowed to deny service who were being aggressive.”
In response to the Oxford store’s union efforts a Starbucks spokesperson said the company is listening and learning from the partners in these stores, and continued by saying, “We’ve been clear in our belief that we are better together as partners, without a union between us, and that conviction has not changed.”
As for Rev. Barbers involvement with the fired employees and accusations of union busting, the spokesperson said:
“We are committed to following the process the National Labor Relations Board has laid out. We’re acting in good faith. We’re leaning and listening from our partners in these stores.”
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