Starbucks union sets a $1 million fund to compensate striking baristas for lost salary

• Workers United is establishing a $1 million fund to assist Starbucks baristas on strike.
• The fund will offer workers more clout in their campaign to unionize and bargain collectively.
• As of Tuesday, 100 Starbucks locations had decided to join Workers United.

Starbucks’ organizing union is building a $1 million fund to cover lost wages for baristas who go on strike, giving workers additional clout in their quest to unionize.

The financial support comes amid a nationwide unionization campaign that has already resulted in walkouts and strikes at several Starbucks stores. Employees at a business in Boston went on strike Tuesday after being forced to work through a water leak. Workers in Columbia, South Carolina, went on strike for three days in protest of suspected anti-union reprisal.

The strike fund, once established, could lead to more frequent and longer-lasting strikes because baristas won’t have to worry about the short-term financial consequences.

“This strike fund will allow all workers to take the type of collective action necessary as they fight for a fair contract,” said Richard Minter, Workers United’s international organizing director.

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Workers United is a branch of the Service Employees International Union, which has around 2 million members. Its size gives Starbucks organizers access to critical resources as they compete with a coffee business that generated $29.1 billion in revenue in its most recent fiscal year.

According to the National Labor Relations Board, 100 Starbucks cafés decided to unionize under Workers United as of Tuesday. Only 14 locations voted against unionization, giving the union an 88 percent victory rate. Approximately 120 other places are either waiting for elections or are presently voting.

Starbucks and its interim CEO, Howard Schultz, are attempting to quell the labor movement. The corporation stated last month that it will raise compensation for tenured staff and quadruple training for new hires, but it will not provide the additional perks to workers at unionized cafés.

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Starbucks has also been accused of union busting, which the firm disputes. According to NLRB records, Workers United has filed 175 complaints against the coffee company for unfair labor practices. The labor board has filed nine charges against Starbucks.

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