Year after ruling, former Colorado Starbucks worker waits on settlement

Last year a judge ruled that former barista Alendra "Len" Harris was illegally fired for organizing a union. Harris decided to settle out of court, hoping to get the pay they were owed sooner. But a year later, Harris says they're still waiting.

In 2022, after leading the charge to unionize, Len Harris was fired from their job at the Starbucks in Superior.

"It took 12 weeks for [the state] to process my unemployment claim, and then it was denied anyway," Harris said. "I think a lot of people don't realize how close they are to even being homeless," she added.

Fortunately, six months after they were fired, Harris was able to get another job, but it would be a year until a judge ruled Starbucks owed them back pay.

"I thought once the court proceeding had happened, I thought that at the very least, you know, within six, six to eight months," Harris said

Instead, a year later, Harris is still waiting, saying, "I am kind of surprised or frustrated and surprised that hasn't been rectified yet."

While Harris decided to settle, and therefore will not be pursuing getting re-hired by Starbucks, Harris estimates they're owed close to $70,000 in back pay from the last two years.  

"It certainly would be life-changing," Harris said, "It's the difference between buying a house. It's the difference between getting a major surgery done that I need to get done."

But the process has fueled a passion for Harris and turned into a new career as a community organizer for unionization efforts in Colorado, working with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).

"Getting the position that I have now, organizing unions and helping workers get the things that they need, highlights to me how much workers are not getting what they need on a regular basis," Harris said.

Now, Harris is still waiting on not only their own settlement to be carried out but also on negotiations between Starbucks and Workers United. Right now there are more than 500 union stores, but no contracts.

"I feel like sometimes it's easier for us to fight for others, you know, than ourselves," Harris said.

CBS News Colorado reached out to Workers United but they were not able to interview before this story. We also reached out to Starbucks for comment but they did not respond.