Business & Tech
NYC Starbucks Union Baristas Stage Work Stoppage
"We all have a common interest: to work," said a barista at one of two union Queens Starbucks that simultaneously stopped work Wednesday.
QUEENS, NY — Wake up and smell the coffee work grind to a halt, said Queens Starbucks baristas to their corporate bean counters.
Baristas at two unionized Starbucks in Astoria staged simultaneous work stoppages Wednesday morning to protest cut hours and short staffing.
For five minutes, customers at Astoria and Ditmas boulevards' Starburcks went without their venti lattes while baristas stopped work to read from a petition, pass out fliers to customers and answer questions.
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"We all have a common interest: to work," said Jules Fuentes, 30, a barista at the Ditmas Boulevard Starbucks.
TODAY: Workers at both union Starbucks in Astoria engaged in a simultaneous work stoppage to protest hours cuts and short-staffing.
Hours cuts are a union busting tactic – they mean lower pay, disqualification from benefits, more stress and longer wait times for customers. pic.twitter.com/dI86KFxloA
— Workers United, NY NJ Joint Board (@WorkersUnitedNY) October 18, 2023
Starbucks representatives told Patch the two stores' union reps haven't confirmed any bargaining sessions since May, despite weekly efforts. The stores had staffing challenges from limited partner availablility and elevated partner call outs, representatives said.
Find out what's happening in Queenswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"While we respect our partners rights to engage in lawful protest activity, we encourage partners at our Astoria-Ditmars and Astoria & 31st St. stores to tell their union representatives to meet us at the bargaining table to discuss their concerns," a spokesperson said in a statement.
Complaints about short staffing, among other issues, prompted workers at two Astoria Starbucks to unionize last year.
Their union — Workers United, NY NJ Joint Board — argued in a tweet that recent hours cuts at the locations are "union busting tactic."
Fuentes said the cuts began over the summer.
"It was basically a larger workload distributed among fewer people," he said.
"It was not a really good vibe overall."
The cut hours led to the two locations' first work stoppage in September, said Fuentes.
The stoppage Wednesday was an escalation that demanded a fair contract negotiation, he said.
"I thought people would be fatigued by now, but there was still a strong show of support among my coworkers."
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