Posted on Jul 1, 2022
One unionized. The other did not. How 2 Milwaukee cafés were changed by union drives
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https://www.npr.org/2022/07/01/ [login to see] /starbucks-union-organizing-labor-teamsters-coffee-workers
A generation ago, the words "union shop" were synonymous with auto factories and steel plants.
How the world has changed.
Today, coffee shops have become the face of a new labor movement as spirited union campaigns march through Starbucks stores from coast to coast.
Union elections have soared 70% in 2022 over last year, with Starbucks alone accounting for half of the growth.
But organizing in coffee did not begin at Starbucks. It kicked off several years ago in independently owned coffeehouses — the kind of small businesses one might think of as the least likely of workplaces to unionize, whose owners are a far cry from billionaire Howard Schultz.
A generation ago, the words "union shop" were synonymous with auto factories and steel plants.
How the world has changed.
Today, coffee shops have become the face of a new labor movement as spirited union campaigns march through Starbucks stores from coast to coast.
Union elections have soared 70% in 2022 over last year, with Starbucks alone accounting for half of the growth.
But organizing in coffee did not begin at Starbucks. It kicked off several years ago in independently owned coffeehouses — the kind of small businesses one might think of as the least likely of workplaces to unionize, whose owners are a far cry from billionaire Howard Schultz.
One unionized. The other did not. How 2 Milwaukee cafés were changed by union drives
Posted from npr.org
Starbucks
Milwaukee
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 2
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With the abundance of unfilled jobs, now is the ideal time to unionize.
(I must admit bias on this. My father was Business Agent for a Carpenters Union for a number of years.)
(I must admit bias on this. My father was Business Agent for a Carpenters Union for a number of years.)
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
MSG Stan Hutchison My Uncle Fred was an Officer with the St Louis IBEW, I Understand.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Achter, now the union shop steward at Likewise, understands his frustration — to an extent.
"I think it has to be very hard for him to feel like he has to let go of some control over his business," Achter says.
But the veteran barista believes having rules spelled out in a contract makes for a better working environment now that expectations are clear.
Achter has been holding Lucey to the contract, filing grievances whenever he skirts the rules. "After everything that we went through to get this first contract, I feel really invested in making sure it works."
Meanwhile, sales at Likewise are still down close to 30% compared to pre-pandemic times, and Lucey worries every day about whether the café will survive.
"The positive vibe in there is amazing, and it keeps me going," Lucey says. "But sometimes, I want to tell people — if only you knew."
..."Achter, now the union shop steward at Likewise, understands his frustration — to an extent.
"I think it has to be very hard for him to feel like he has to let go of some control over his business," Achter says.
But the veteran barista believes having rules spelled out in a contract makes for a better working environment now that expectations are clear.
Achter has been holding Lucey to the contract, filing grievances whenever he skirts the rules. "After everything that we went through to get this first contract, I feel really invested in making sure it works."
Meanwhile, sales at Likewise are still down close to 30% compared to pre-pandemic times, and Lucey worries every day about whether the café will survive.
"The positive vibe in there is amazing, and it keeps me going," Lucey says. "But sometimes, I want to tell people — if only you knew."
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