Unfair work conditions, slashed hours and unjust firings are all recurring problems workers claim at the Starbucks on Robert C. Daniel Parkway.
On Tuesday, they picketed outside the store, shutting it down and joining hundreds of Starbucks’ employees nationwide who say they are still facing these issues even after establishing a workers’ union.
“It’s made it a very toxic work environment, and they are continuing to fire people and make changes without consulting the union like they’re supposed to,” said Rory Pool, barista at the Augusta Exchange Starbucks.
Baristas say they have grown tired of being ignored, fired and mistreated by Starbucks and are refusing to work until the union’s demands are met. Workers at Tuesday’s picket added they are tired of the mistreatment and blatant disrespect for their hard work and feeling as though they are simply being tossed aside by a corporation.
“We are tired of being cogs in some corporate machine,” said Pool.
Union representative and lead organizer, Jaysin Saxton, said the corporation is cutting hours, closing their location early during busier times and purposely ignoring or miscommunicating with employees to try and force a revote of the union.
“They are trying to starve out the union until there is no steam left,” said local tenant organizer Andy Kerstens, who was showing his support for the workers union by striking alongside baristas.
Several employees at the Exchange location said they are getting a second job to make up for lost hours and wages, but they added refuse to fully leave Starbucks until the union is respected and properly functioning.
Pool and her coworker, Stephen Wilkins, said they will stay and fight for a better workplace for both present and future Starbucks’ baristas in order to better the community for workers and customers.
Barista Traye Ivy said many employees have had their work hours significantly cut down and are not able to support themselves with the shorter shifts. Some workers have received one weekly shift for less than six hours.
Pool agreed and added they have an enormous lack of support from many customers because of misinformation. Pool said many people widely misunderstand the purpose of a union and label them as automatically bad without understanding their purpose.
“A union means you’re not feeling safe in your work environment, and you need to change it,” she said. “People are also saying, ‘Well, if you don’t like your job, just get a new one.’”
Pool said leaving or switching jobs will not make the problem disappear. Giving up the fight will only solidify the problem and maybe even cause conditions to become even worse in the future.
“It’s really hard to work for a place that you feel doesn’t really care about your quality of life,” said Wilkins.
The union is calling for the support of the public by boycotting Starbucks until the company treats employees better and adheres to, at least, a bargaining date for the union’s demands.
Other strikes have been reported in cities such as Boston, Pittsburgh, Pa. and Atlanta. The first Starbucks strike happened in Buffalo, N.Y. in May, according to a report from WBUF radio.
Saxton said he believes the community should care about the union because the workers supported them during the pandemic by working hard to still give others a nice cup of coffee to make it through the day. According to Saxton, the Augusta Exchange location was the primary headquarters of business for Starbucks during COVID-19, and they served a large portion of the community.
“Ultimately, it’s about us having the respect, dignity and the benefits to keep us coming to work to make that cup of coffee [you] need every day. It’s about getting better conditions for us so that we can serve [you],” said Saxton.
Starbucks’ corporate office returned an interview request with the following statement.
“We currently have a strike happening in the Augusta Exchange store location today. Starbucks has great partners and we value their contributions. We respect our partners’ legal right to engage in activity or protest without retaliation. We are grateful to each partner who offered to work today and are doing our best to listen to the concerns of all our partners.”
Liz Wright is a correspondent for The Augusta Press.
