Unionized Starbucks workers across the country, and right here in the Orlando area, are calling for community support this weekend, asking the public to visit local union stores and wear red to support workers' fight for a fair union contract.
“As we continue making progress toward our contracts with the company, union Starbucks workers are asking for your help!” the union wrote on a webpage promoting the event.
“During Red for Bread Weekend (July 26-29, Friday through Monday), stand in solidarity with us by stopping by your local union shop, wearing something red, grabbing a beverage (or free water) under the name 'UNION STRONG,' and sharing some words of encouragement with baristas who are more than RED-dy for a collective bargaining agreement!” the page reads.
The Orlando metro area, while suffering no shortage of Starbucks locations (in addition to other locally owned favorites like Foxtail, Lineage and Drunken Monkey) currently has just one unionized Starbucks, located at 305 E. Mitchell Hammock Road in Oviedo.
Workers there, in a historic victory for the region, became the first Starbucks workers in Central Florida to unionize back in 2022, although they have since recently been joined by baristas at another Starbucks location in Tampa. A wave of organizing within the chain first took the U.S. by storm in 2021, when workers at a Starbucks in Buffalo, New York became the first to successfully unionize with the labor union Workers United.#RedForBread weekend starts NOW!!
— Starbucks Workers United (@SBWorkersUnited) July 26, 2024
Check out the map on https://t.co/dO9z0cJqFU to stop by your nearest union shop wearing red, and share the love by posting with #RedForBread ! https://t.co/z3PrLwp45i
Since then, more than 470 locations and 10,500 Starbucks workers across 45 states and the District of Columbia have unionized, inspiring workers for other retail and service employers — like Trader Joe’s and Amazon — to apply the same grassroots energy to their own efforts.
Clay Blastic, a shift supervisor at the union Starbucks in Oviedo, told Orlando Weekly their location has suffered turnover recently (not uncommon in the industry) and that those new to the store — and new to the union — would welcome a show of support.
“This community has had our back in this long fight from the election to today, and I hope we can continue the work and support as [we] fight in contract negotiations,” Blastic told Orlando Weekly in a text. “They’ve been invaluable in giving us the support to keep going.”
Baristas at unionized Starbucks locations have been in what has been, in the past, an aggressive fight with their employer — a multibillion-dollar coffee giant — to reach an agreement on a union contract.
Starbucks has been accused in hundreds of complaints with the federal labor board of committing unfair labor practices — essentially, violations of federal labor law. It has poured hefty resources into lawyers from notoriously anti-union law firms like Littler Mendelson. A number of pro-union workers were allegedly fired by Starbucks for their union activity, while others have reported other forms of retaliation for supporting the union, such as being scheduled fewer hours or facing discipline for wearing pro-union pins on the job — all common tactics of union busters.
However, the tide shifted in what was considered by both sides to be a major breakthrough this February, when the union and Starbucks agreed to begin talks on a foundational framework for union contracts. Even President Joe Biden weighed in on the announcement, offering his support.
“Today, I applaud workers and Starbucks for announcing a framework that respects the right to form and join unions. When workers win, we all win,” Biden shared in a post on X.
Starbucks workers are largely advocating for better scheduling and staffing practices, quality healthcare benefits, a living wage that allows baristas to afford to live in their communities, and a commitment from Starbucks to have workers’ backs when they face harassment from customers.
According to the union, both parties have held monthly bargaining sessions for contract talks, with more than 400 workers from unionized locations involved. Workers involved are democratically elected by their fellow coworkers to represent them in contract talks as delegates or caucus members, according to the union.
“Starbucks and Workers United met last week in Dallas, Texas to continue advancing the framework intended to be the foundation of each single-store contract,” the union shared in a statement with Orlando Weekly. “The two days of positive negotiations advanced non-economic measures within that framework. We look forward to continuing negotiations, and our goal remains to reach ratified contracts for partners in represented stores by the end of this year.”
Blastic, the Starbucks worker at the Oviedo location, told Orlando Weekly they have already heard from a couple of local organizations that plan to show up this weekend to support them, including Central Florida Jobs with Justice and the Orlando chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America — both of which have similarly demonstrated solidarity with the union in the past.
Readers can make their own pledge to visit their local union Starbucks this weekend here. A map of unionized locations is available on the union’s website.
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