San Francisco Starbucks workers join nationwide unionizing effort
SAN FRANCISCO — Starbucks workers at the 744 Irving store in San Francisco have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to unionize with Starbucks Workers United.
The 744 Irving partners (employees) are joining a nationwide movement of over 8,000 baristas who have begun organizing, demanding improvements such as better working conditions, fair wages, and consistent schedules.
"Economic inequality is at a peak right now, and working people are being forced to fight for the life we deserve. We as workers are making all the money for these billion-dollar companies, and we're not seeing any of it. We need an end to the disrespect we get from management, and we need consistent, adequate hours and a living wage," said Atakan Deviren, a barista at the store for the past year.
Starbucks has come under fire for a union-busting campaign that includes threatening workers' access to benefits, firing over 230 union leaders across the country, and shuttering union stores. The NLRB has issued over 100 official complaints against the company, encompassing over 1,600 violations of federal labor law.
Since December 2021, over 330 Starbucks stores in 38 states and the District of Columbia have successfully unionized — more than any company in the 21st century.