Starbucks Workers Holding Solidarity Rally In Bloomfield Today
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A rally is set to start in just a few hours in Bloomfield for Starbucks employees who plan on making their voices heard on unionizing.
It will start at 12 p.m. today in front of the store on Liberty Avenue.
The workers' demands are a safer, more democratic workplace at Starbucks -- and they allege that the company is engaging in "union-busting" behaviors."
And they are not the only ones who feel this way -- it's part of a national wave to unionize.
There are now two Starbucks locations trying to unionize: here in Bloomfield and also in Oakland.
Part of their demands for a safer workplace stems from 20 unfair labor practice charges against Starbucks, just in the past week, according to the Pennsylvania Joint Board.
These groups say that Pittsburgh has long been at the center of worker rights movements, and they believe this is best for all parties involved.
They are in the process of filing to unionize with the National Labor Relations Board.
In order to certify their union, a majority vote from employees is needed.
Last month, a Starbucks representative gave this statement to the Tribune-Review about the Bloomfield store's efforts to organize:
"Starbucks success—past, present, and future—is built on how we partner together, always with Our Mission and Values at our core. We've been clear in our belief that we are better together as partners, without a union between us, and that conviction has not changed."