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‘Definitely it’s retaliation’: Starbucks closes unionized store in Ithaca »

rose-kalliope:

rose-kalliope:

rose-kalliope:

partypuppyyes:

All strength to the workers to keep unionising; what are they gonna do, close every store?

I’m from Ithaca. The store they closed is right next to Cornell University. The place was packed every time I drove by. And rightly so, it’s right next to a college that takes up half the city. They’d have to be fools to shut this store down - or retaliating against unionizing labor.

Come to think of it, there’s a large storefront on the other corner that’s been empty for going on a decade now. I wouldn’t be surprised if they open up a new store in the old Green Cafe location not long after they close the current one.

On July 18th, the Ithaca DSA sent out this email regarding the Collegetown store:

Text: Unionizing workers at Ithaca Starbucks stores need our help. As you probably know, workers at all three Ithaca branches voted to join Starbucks Workers United in April, making Ithaca the first city anywhere to unionize all its Starbucks branches. Workers at the busiest branch, on College Ave, walked out in a wildcat strike soon after over unsafe working conditions. The overflowing grease trap, which the manager had just told them could not be fixed, was repaired within a day, and they went back to work--briefly.
Shortly after this show of strength, the company announced they were closing the branch "permanently," with one week's notice, and they lost their jobs. This was a transparent example of union-busting, and it made national news. Unfair Labor Practice Complaints were filed with the National Labor Relations Board, and the company entered negotiations with the College Ave workers a month ago. But they have been completely intransigent, dragging negotiations out. Now, the lawyer handling these negotiations has left on a two-week vacation, leaving them in limbo. Meanwhile, the company has also taken retaliatory measures against union activists at the other two branches, denying promotions, creating illogical and unpredictable schedules, above all cutting their hours, literally forcing them to choose between rent and food. Since the vote to unionize, a large number of the workers who voted Union Yes have been forced to resign.
These workers are high-need. One had worked at the College Ave branch for twelve years. Another was an abuse survivor with limited opportunities and very low resources. All of the workers were underpaid, without benefits, and all provided a service that Ithacans rely on. This was one of the most, if not the most, heavily trafficked branch in all of upstate New York. No one doubts that the company is trying to crush the union, closing a store "permanently" that they have every intention of reopening, dragging out negotiations, starving out union organizers. As one organizer put it recently, "David and Goliath doesn't begin to cover it. This is nothing to Starbucks. And it's everything to us." Workers United, their affiliate union, is committed to providing 70% of lost pay while negotiations continue, but they are behind schedule and it’s not enough: the workers simply do not have enough money to live.
If a job needs doing, the workers deserve to be well paid for it, to enjoy benefits, to be treated with respect. If you can, please support these brave workers to help them see the struggle through. If Starbucks crushes the union here, it has gone a long way toward breaking the union everywhere. [Link: Support Starbucks Workers United]

Image descriptions in alt text.

Links in article:

“Definitely it’s retaliation,” linked in original post

“and it made national news:”

Starbucks Illegally Closing N.Y. Cafe to Retaliate, Union Claims

If you're not local, you may not get why this is shocking. The College Ave location may be the single most prime property in all of Upstate NY. Over 15,000 pedestrians cross it every day. There's no way it isn't profitable. This looks like union busting #ShameOnStarbucks https://t.co/5OvQJEd9Or — Svante Myrick (@SvanteMyrick) June 4, 2022

(From the former mayor)

College Ave Relief Fund!, organized by Evan Sunshine

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