Greektown Starbucks workers to go on strike, accuse chain of union-busting
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Workers at the Starbucks store in Greektown went on strike for four hours Monday morning, accusing the company of union-busting tactics.
Staff at the Starbucks at 116 S. Halsted St. said they would be on strike from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., after a union organizer was fired one day before the workers voted to join Starbucks Workers United.
They said the store has been understaffed as a result, creating concerns for workers' safety. Workers said they just want to negotiate a contract, and get more staffing for their store.
"These past few days, we've been closed not because of a strike, but because we haven't had partners to staff the store; and so our safety as partners who are working is compromised," Lillie Elling said.
The workers also have accused Starbucks of threatening staff, enforcing unprecedented policies, denying staff benefits, and imposing stricter disciplinary measures.
"With all the understaffing and problems in our store, management seems to be more concerned with taking away our legal right to organize," organizer Chris Allen said in a statement.
In a statement, Starbucks denied any retaliation against workers at the Greektown store for unionizing.
"While we respect the right of our partners to engage in lawful union activities without fear of retaliation, inaccurate information shared by Workers United ignores the facts of the matter and distracts from efforts to move the good faith bargaining process forward," the company said. "Importantly, recent actions taken in at our Greektown were lawful and in alignment with our long-established Workplace Violence Standard that applies to all partners—not in retaliation for any partners' participation in, or support of, concerted union activities."
