The employees of the Westbury Gallery and Garden City 7th Street Starbucks locations picketed outside their storefronts from Dec. 22 to Dec. 24 after negotiations between Starbucks and the employees’ union came to a standstill.
“No contract, no coffee,” some signs read.
The employees’ union with Workers United has been negotiating with Starbucks for a livable wage, adequate benefits and more consistent scheduling. Negotiations are currently at a standstill, prompting the walkout. The locations were two of 300 stores that went on strike at the end of December.
“We’re ready to return to the bargaining table to consider serious economic proposals for the company, but they haven’t really been moving the way that we want them to. So that’s why we went on this strike,” said Evan Sunshine, an employee at the Westbury Gallery location.
“It was building up in power to show an initial show of strength to Starbucks, that we’re willing to fight for what we believe is most important to us.”
The union created a “national framework” within which locations can negotiate for plans that work for them. Though making a livable wage is an important cause for all union employees, it hits harder for Long Island locations.
“Long Island is incredibly expensive, the cost of living,” Sunshine said. ”When it comes to the contract, we’re really excited to be able to make a living wage, and that’s what we’re fighting for.
“That’s what we’re pushing for, and that’s why we all agreed to go on strike, because the living wage is so important to us.”
On top of that, employees can’t control how much they’re scheduled. If they aren’t given enough hours, not only is their income reduced, but they can’t qualify for benefits. This was one of the leading drivers in the location’s unionization effort, Sunshine said.
The union is also awaiting the result of an unfair labor practice charge because of Starbucks’ alleged scorched-earth union-busting campaign.
“We’re just getting started,” Sunshine said. “The ball is in Starbucks executives’ court at this point.”
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