May 31—CLARKSVILLE — Starbucks workers in Clarksville are joining a national effort as they become the first in Indiana to petition for unionization.
Hourly workers at the Starbucks at 1231 Veterans Parkway filed a petition Tuesday with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for a union representation election.
According to a news release from Starbucks Workers United, an "overwhelming majority" of the Starbucks workers at the Clarksville location signed union authorization cards and the petition, and workers signed an emailed letter to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz voicing their concerns:
"Through every means available to us, we have attempted to use the official company channels to raise our concerns directly to management as they would claim we should instead of unionizing," the letter states. "Every single time we have been met with delays, inaction, and vague promises that our 'concerns are being taken seriously.' All the while dealing with the fallout of that unrequited plea for assistance. Each day we are ignored is a day that inequity, exploitation, and outright trauma is allowed to persist unchecked, even supported, in our workplace."
Last week, workers at a Starbucks on Factory Lane in Louisville won their union representation election, and the Starbuck Workers United news release notes that workers at 100 locations across the country have won union representation.
Mila Wade, a barista at the Veterans Parkway location, notes that workers first reached out to Starbucks Workers United in December about organizing, and efforts "have been slowly building since then." She has worked for a year at the coffee shop.
Wade criticized management at the store, saying there have been "unfair hiring practices" and "targeted firing of some partners." She said "it was made clear everyone in the store was in danger of losing their job" and there has been an effort "to replace us with people from another store."
"Some immediate things people in the store would like to see are better protections for us, more fair and equitable treatment and less targeted termination practices," Wade said.
Starbucks offers benefits such as paid college tuition and health insurance, and for workers such as Wade, the benefits package is a key reason for working for the company.
However, Wade would like to see higher pay. She currently makes $12 an hour.
"If you work between 30 to 40 hours a week there, you deserve at minimum a wage you can live on," Wade said.
She is also concerned about working conditions at the coffee shop.
"We have off and on highest volume store in the district, and the store has been slammed way more than not," she said. "A lot of times it's just been me or one or two other people on the floor. It's not nearly enough to run that store. It's a very physical job with very skilled labor."
A media representative from the Starbucks corporation shared an emailed statement with the News and Tribune in response to the workers' actions, saying the company is "listening and learning from the partners in these stores as we always do across the country."
"From the beginning, 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."
The media representative also referenced a statement from Schultz in an April 10 letter to "Starbucks partners" posted on the corporation's website.
"We will become the best version of Starbucks by co-creating our future directly as partners," Schultz said in the letter. "And we will strengthen the Starbucks community by upholding each other's dreams; upholding the standards and rituals of the company; celebrating partner individuality and voice; and upholding behaviors of mutual respect and dignity."
Schultz also criticized recent efforts in his statement, saying "we must not be distracted by the different vision being put forward by union organizers at some Starbucks stores."
"And while not all the partners supporting unionization are colluding with outside union forces, the critical point is that I do not believe conflict, division and dissension — which has been a focus of union organizing — benefits Starbucks or our partners," he said.
The news release from Workers United included a statement from Workers United International Vice President Kathy Hanshew criticizing the corporation's response to unionization efforts.
"Starbucks is a multimillion-dollar corporation that tries to pride itself on working in partnership with its employees, all while silencing the workers and denying them their right to union representation and a collective voice," Hanshew said in the statement. "Starbucks calls its employees 'partners,' but it is abundantly clear that this so-called partnership is one of convenience for the company that leaves many employee concerns unheard. It is time for Starbucks to do the right thing, acknowledge the voice of their 'partners,' and allow their workers to unionize without interference."
Barista Daniel Willoughby has worked for nearly eight months at the Veterans Parkway location and joined fellow workers in the push for unionization.
He is hoping for "better working conditions for all of us around the country and at our store." He makes $12 an hour at the store, saying "it's not a great starting pay, but the benefits are really good."
"We just really want to create a more unified front for workers so we keep our benefits and make our store and company a better place to work for younger people who are there for college benefits or people who need really good health care," Willoughby said. "Even people who don't want to work there a long time — they deserve a better place to work even if they are not there for a long time."
Wade said she feels hopeful about the workers' efforts to unionize.
"A lot of the people there at our store have been so worn down by their experience working there, and realizing we have the ability to stand up and have a more democratic system in the workplace has really fired a lot of people up," she said.
