Brighton Starbucks workers strike after working through water leak

BOSTON -- Starbucks workers in Brighton are striking Tuesday after they say they were forced to work through "unsafe work conditions." According to the Boston Starbucks Workers United, water was leaking from the ceiling and light fixtures onto the counters, floors, and espresso machines on Monday. 

Over a dozen workers and supporters could be seen with signs outside the Cleveland Circle coffee shop. 

"We currently have our own in-store water feature. We have some rain coming down from the ceiling that extends across our espresso bar and the part of our store where we serve customers. It makes it difficult regardless of what our customers purchased to serve them helpfully and adequately. And it also spills water onto our floor which is very unsafe," said barista Natalie Borg at the strike. 

A barista took a video of water spewing from the ceiling of the Starbucks where she was preparing coffee orders on Memorial Day. "There's water coming from our ceiling directly over our hand-off plane where our drinks that are made go for customers", said Sabrina Weintraub. 

"They were getting splashed with like that nasty gross water and it was just not pretty," said barista Seryna Graham. 

The union said there have been leaks over the years and that management has been aware of the issues but failed to address them fully. 

The store closed early Monday night. It most recently passed inspection on March 10, 2022, with minor violations. 

The union also said it was unclear whether workers will receive catastrophe pay for the closure. "We believe all partners should be protected from any wages lost due to improper building maintenance and circumstances outside of our control," a letter to management read. 

The strike is expected to end at 9 p.m. on Tuesday. 

Workers will return on Wednesday as long as "all necessary maintenance be completed so as to ensure the safety of our partners and community members."    

According to a Starbucks spokesperson, the leak was caused by a drainage issue with the HVAC system. The store was closed by 9:15 a.m., about a half-hour after the issue began. They also said leadership verbally went over the catastrophe pay policy before workers left. 

A statement from Starbucks said, in part: "To ensure the safety of our partners and customers, local leaders immediately closed the store yesterday and gave the partners the opportunity to pick up shifts at other stores. Store leaders shared details of our catastrophe pay policy with partners before they left the store yesterday. This policy has also been shared with partners on two other occasions this year." 

Striking employees say the manager tried to get them to stay and work a portion of the store he was going to try to keep open. That's something the Starbucks company itself denies.  

Unions at Starbucks locations in Massachusetts are still relatively new. This particular store has only had union representation for a few weeks. The strike is the first of its kind in the state. 

Labor experts said the strike was a breakthrough. "These are things that they've been voicing concern for quite a while now," said Darlene Lombos, principal officer of the Greater Boston Labor Council. "Now they do feel like they're protected, and have the courage to take on this issue head-on."  

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