This is the second in a two-part series on organizing at Starbucks by Nick Driedger. In this installment, he looks at the Industrial Workers of the World campaign in the US and Canada from 2004-2017.
What worked and what didn’t: A history of organizing at Starbucks
In this two-part series, Nick Driedger takes a look at previous attempts to organize Starbucks. This installment covers the Canadian Auto Workers’ campaign on the lower mainland of British Columbia, 1996-2007.
“We had formal recognition, but not genuine engagement”: On the difficulties of bargaining
These baristas learned the hard way that employers sometimes grant recognition but stonewall workers at the bargaining table — even on changes that would help the business.
You Can’t Hide From Class Struggle: The campaign at Smiling Bear Café
Gaby recounts the story of an organizing campaign at a café in Montréal, where baristas successfully negotiated a raise and benefits. Workers initially avoided identifying as a union, and framed themselves as trying to improve […]