IWW files more charges against Starbucks, slams company for jet purchase

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX), the global coffee purveyor which recently lost a workers rights lawsuit in New York and which agreed this month to enter into settlement negotiations on a union-busting charge in Grand Rapids is facing further legal challenges and criticism from the International Workers of the World-affiliated Starbucks Workers Union.

In Minnesota this month Starbucks employees filed 11 labor violation charges against the company with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Minnesota Independent reports:

Among the accusations against the ubiquitous coffee retailer: Employees were illegally fired or punished for engaging in union activities; store managers wrongly prohibited discussions of organizing efforts at work; and pro-union workers were spied on by management.

The union is also criticizing Starbucks for purchasing a third corporate jet after closing 616 stores in 2008.

Thanks to Ron Moore for sharing the union’s statement on the jet purchase:

“The IWW Starbucks Workers Union is appalled that Starbucks spent $45 million on a new corporate jet so that CEO Howard Schultz could spend the holidays in Hawaii glad-handing sports superstars while baristas and shift supervisors are denied the work hours they need to make ends meet in the midst of an economic crisis. With that $45 million, Starbucks could provide over five million additional work hours to employees in need or maintain its gutted 401k program for three additional years.

Starbucks’ new corporate jet only seats 19 passengers. That leaves out tens of thousands of us so-called partners. As a company that claims to treat all of its employees with ‘respect and dignity’, Starbucks should sell its extravagant jet and use the money to benefit its workers and their families, not just senior executives. Starbucks should start by scaling back painful across-the-board labor cuts and maintaining a transparent 401k matching plan, so that workers know what to expect before they put their money away for decades.

In today’s dire economic climate, there is no room for this kind of corporate extravagance. Instead of bearing their share of the burden, Starbucks management has recklessly chosen to further reward their poor performance. As Starbucks wastes much needed funds on unnecessary luxuries, it can expect increased resistance from baristas and shift supervisors seeking job security and sufficient work hours.”