Did you enjoy a cup of coffee to start your day this morning?
On this day in Labor History the year was 2007.
That was the day that Starbucks agreed to post information about union rights on an employee bulletin board at its store in Grand Rapids Michigan.
The Industrial Workers of the World were attempting to organize the baristas at that store.
The IWW accused Starbucks of interfering with the right to form a union.
Starbucks management consistently points to better than average benefits provided for their employees as a reason against unionization.
Starbucks Management decided to settle the Grand Rapids dispute by letting the union information go up, before the case went through the full Labor Review Board process.
This was just one instance of the IWW’s attempts to organize Starbucks workers.
The IWW began its outreach efforts at Starbucks in 2004.
One of the most pressing issues facing the baristas is scheduling.
Like many in the service industry they are subject to so-called “flexible scheduling.”
Computer software programs create scheduling aimed at reducing labor costs.
The result of these programs is often inconsistent and unpredictable hours.
This scheduling makes it difficult for workers to establish a budget or plan for child care.
In 2014 the New York Times published a story on this kind of scheduling, featuring the difficulties faced by one Starbucks worker.
A study published in 2014 showed that Starbucks stores had 14% less employees on average in 2011-2013 than they did in 2005-2007.
Starbucks is not alone in using this computer scheduling. Efforts to cut labor costs continue to have devastating impact on the day to day lives of workers in the service economy.
Labor History in 2:00 brought to you by the Illinois Labor History Society and The Rick Smith Show