An organizer in Buffalo reveals Starbucks' anti-union secrets.
Less than a week after her store in Buffalo won its union election, Starbucks has fired lead union organizer Victoria Conklin in what she says is a clear case of retaliation.
Conklin was fired on June 22nd for being late to work for the first time in her nearly five years at the company. The firing came days after the National Labor Relations Board sought an emergency injunction in federal court to force Starbucks to rehire seven other Buffalo union-leaders that it illegally fired over the past six months.
“They fired me because they scheduled me to do a ‘clopening,’ which is when you close the store and open it the next morning, and I overslept and was late by 20 minutes,” Conklin told More Perfect Union. “But the store opened on time, we didn’t lose any customers or anything. The only thing I couldn’t serve when we opened was iced tea, because it takes about five minutes to seep.”
Several weeks prior, Conklin was given a first write-up and final warning for the way she locked up the cash register before workers at her store went on strike on May 7th. Workers there went on strike over what they called unfair labor practices and unsafe conditions. A coworker had recently been badly burned on the job but forced to continue working with no time off to heal.
Conklin’s description of the lead-up to the strike suggests that the write-up she received from management was retaliatory in nature. She secured the cash register and locked the cash inside of it, dutifully escorted customers out, and shut down the drive-thru before closing the store. Starbucks Workers United’s lawyer told Conklin that her actions were sufficient — workers often abandon their posts as they are when they go on strike — but the coffee conglomerate disciplined Conklin for not removing the cash from the register and placing it in a safe.
The firing ends a tumultuous past nine months with the company for Conklin, who said she opposed union organizing efforts when Starbucks Workers United first kicked off its campaign in August 2021. Over the course of the next four months, Conklin’s store was regularly visited by Starbucks’ then-president Rossann Williams, who decamped to Buffalo in the fall to lead a massive campaign to scuttle the union organizing effort. Williams frequently asked Conklin what changes she hoped to see in the store, then orchestrated improvements that addressed the issues.
Later, Conklin learned that what Williams was doing was known as soliciting grievances, which is illegal during union campaigns under NLRB rules. It was one of several wake-up calls during the course of the union campaign. “I was like, she’s been playing me this whole time,” Conklin recalled.
perfectunion.us
shyt is so ridiculous out here Starbucks acting like they a mom and pop spot that can't handle a union. When you sl your bullshyt products in supermarkets you are no longer a mom and pop.
Less than a week after her store in Buffalo won its union election, Starbucks has fired lead union organizer Victoria Conklin in what she says is a clear case of retaliation.
Conklin was fired on June 22nd for being late to work for the first time in her nearly five years at the company. The firing came days after the National Labor Relations Board sought an emergency injunction in federal court to force Starbucks to rehire seven other Buffalo union-leaders that it illegally fired over the past six months.
“They fired me because they scheduled me to do a ‘clopening,’ which is when you close the store and open it the next morning, and I overslept and was late by 20 minutes,” Conklin told More Perfect Union. “But the store opened on time, we didn’t lose any customers or anything. The only thing I couldn’t serve when we opened was iced tea, because it takes about five minutes to seep.”
Several weeks prior, Conklin was given a first write-up and final warning for the way she locked up the cash register before workers at her store went on strike on May 7th. Workers there went on strike over what they called unfair labor practices and unsafe conditions. A coworker had recently been badly burned on the job but forced to continue working with no time off to heal.
Conklin’s description of the lead-up to the strike suggests that the write-up she received from management was retaliatory in nature. She secured the cash register and locked the cash inside of it, dutifully escorted customers out, and shut down the drive-thru before closing the store. Starbucks Workers United’s lawyer told Conklin that her actions were sufficient — workers often abandon their posts as they are when they go on strike — but the coffee conglomerate disciplined Conklin for not removing the cash from the register and placing it in a safe.
The firing ends a tumultuous past nine months with the company for Conklin, who said she opposed union organizing efforts when Starbucks Workers United first kicked off its campaign in August 2021. Over the course of the next four months, Conklin’s store was regularly visited by Starbucks’ then-president Rossann Williams, who decamped to Buffalo in the fall to lead a massive campaign to scuttle the union organizing effort. Williams frequently asked Conklin what changes she hoped to see in the store, then orchestrated improvements that addressed the issues.
Later, Conklin learned that what Williams was doing was known as soliciting grievances, which is illegal during union campaigns under NLRB rules. It was one of several wake-up calls during the course of the union campaign. “I was like, she’s been playing me this whole time,” Conklin recalled.
Starbucks Fires Union Leader For Being Late Once In Her Five Years On The Job
An organizer in Buffalo reveals Starbucks' anti-union secrets.
perfectunion.us
shyt is so ridiculous out here Starbucks acting like they a mom and pop spot that can't handle a union. When you sl your bullshyt products in supermarkets you are no longer a mom and pop.
