by At a masked and socially distant monthly meeting at Laborers International Union of North America Local 5 in Chicago, member Erick Sherman urged the hall in a speech to support the unionization efforts of fellow workers as they demand workplace dignity from Starbucks. The local broadly supported the move, and the executive board has a resolution to support the struggle against Starbucks that should be published on Local 5’s website and in the next edition of their newsletter.
Erick Sherman, Union Laborer, member of LIUNA Local 5, member of Chicago DSA and member of Reform & Revolution, gave the following speech:
Request for substantive show of Solidarity – LIUNA Local 5 for Starbucks Workers Unionization Efforts
Starbucks as a company posted record net profits of over $4 billion in 2021. (The CEO alone took $20.4 million). They pay employees an average of $11.82 per hour with a median annual income of approximately $20,000 and no say in their working conditions. We, the union laborers of Chicago should help our fellow workers in their struggle against a textbook case of class exploitation.
The situation should sound familiar to us. We know the courage it takes to stand up to the boss for workers’ rights and matters of principle. I personally have fought bogus and non-union companies like R.A.O. Construction (a bunch of scabs from Rhinelander, WI, responsible for a catastrophic collapse of an under-construction condo complex in Aurora, IL back in December of 2014). We should lend our support to unionizing Starbucks workers here in Chicago.
The precarious situation they face is fundamentally the same as those faced by fellow working-class Midwesterners, be it at Nabisco’s plant on Chicago’s southside; Kellogg’s plant in Battle Creek, Michigan; or at the John Deere plant in Dubuque, IA.
What is unique about Starbucks workers’ situation is that they do not have institutional support like the BCTGM, UAW, or LIUNA. This early in their struggle, they desperately need to pass this critical structure test. What they are fighting for is basic workplace dignity: workplace safety, living wages, guaranteed full healthcare benefits, and guaranteed scheduling.
Presently, Starbucks has taken retaliatory measures against union efforts in Memphis (unjustly firing 7 employees for speaking to the press) as well as in Buffalo. Our fellow Chicagoans are not backing down from the corporate behemoth that employs them, and we should have their backs. Existing unions (such as our own) should be involved in fostering the growth of fellow workers’ movements because workers support workers. After a five-day strike in Buffalo, the company conceded to the workers’ demand for paid quarantine time resulting from workplace exposure to Covid-19. Workers here in Chicago are pushing for these same workplace protections, and we should use our collective strength to support them.
I have a short statement I’d be glad to have the local review and issue publicly.
Statement of Support for Starbucks Workers Organizing a Union with Workers United
On behalf of the members of the Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 5, we express our solidarity and support for the Starbucks baristas who are joining together and standing up for their rights as workers to form a union.
Organizing a union is a commitment to democracy and justice. By joining together to unionize, these employees are demanding a collective voice and a seat at the table with management as equals in decisions regarding working conditions. They have the right to negotiate as a union for better pay, benefits, working conditions, and a written contract that affords them due process.
We call upon Starbucks management to accept their workers’ decision to unionize and refrain from union-busting tactics that pressure workers to vote No. Starbucks claims to be a progressive company, so they should live up to their professed values and stop making threats and intimidating their own employees.
LIUNA Local 5 proudly stands with the Starbucks baristas and is excited to welcome them into the local labor movement.
Erick Sherman
Erick Sherman, Union Laborer, member of LIUNA Local 5, member of Chicago DSA and member of Reform & Revolution
