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Area lawmakers join 'sip in' with Starbucks union hopefuls

starbucks-union-hopeful.jpg
Tom Shortell
/
LehighValleyNews. com
Jaedon Muhl, 25, a barista at the McArthur Road Starbucks in Whitehall Township shows off his union t-shirt on Nov. 29, 2022

WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. - Local elected officials and labor leaders showed up at the MacArthur Road Starbucks Tuesday afternoon to brew up solidarity with workers attempting to form their own union.

  • Lehigh County elected officials joined a "sip in" Tuesday with Starbucks workers looking to unionize in Whitehall Township
  • It's the latest coordinated action in which Starbucks workers are engaging as they look to unionize themselves and stores across the country
  • On Nov. 17, Starbucks workers at more than 100 U.S. stores walked off the job in their largest labor action since the unionization campaign began late last year

Approximately two dozen workers at Starbucks will vote Friday on whether to form their own local union. If the vote passes, they’ll become part of the fast-growing Starbucks Workers United union. More than 7,000 employees at 260 Starbucks locations have joined the union since its inception in 2021, according to its website.

    Jaedon Muhl, a barista at the Starbucks location, was confident the union vote would pass. They are looking for better pay and more accountability from their managers. The 25-year-old who commutes from the Kutztown area said inflation has made it difficult to live off their base pay of $15 an hour.
    “I know there are many partners here who live paycheck to paycheck. That's a big thing for me,” he said.

    State reps. Jeanne McNeill and Peter Schweyer, state Rep.-elect Joshua Siegel, all D-Lehigh, Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk and Whitehall Township Mayor Michael Harakal, Jr. swung by the store to offer support to the workers. Tuerk snapped a selfie with baristas as store managers scowled behind the counter, and Siegel gave his name as “Vote Yes” for his frappuccino.

    McNeill, whose district includes the township, said it was important for her to be on hand. She and her family have long been proud union members, and it’s important for unions to back each other up, she said. She left a $10 tip for her caramel macchiato.

    "...We’re celebrating a possible union Starbucks.”
    State Rep. Jeannie McNeil, D-Lehigh

    “I usually just get plain coffee, but we’re celebrating a possible union Starbucks,” she said.

    A woman who identified herself as the store’s district manager declined to give her name and directed requests for comment to a corporate email address. Starbucks’ press office did not respond.

    The “sip in” is the latest coordinated action in which Starbucks workers are engaging as they look to unionize themselves and their stores across the country.

    On Nov. 17, Starbucks workers at more than 100 U.S. stores walked off the job in their largest labor action since the unionization campaign began late last year.

    The walkouts were dubbed “The Red Cup Rebellion” and coincided with Starbucks’ annual Red Cup Day, when the company gives out reusable cups to customers who order a holiday beverage.

    At locations where walkouts occurred, workers handed out red Starbucks Workers United union cups to customers instead.

    “The holiday season is supposed to be one of cheer, goodwill towards others, and kindness, but for Starbucks workers, it's just another day of withstanding the corporation's attempt to bully a union effort out of existence,” a news release from SWU said.

    Starbucks workers engaged in unionization efforts say they are underpaid, forced to run understaffed stores, and don't have consistent schedules on which they can rely. They allege Starbucks has engaged in unlawful union-busting campaigns and closed down a dozen locations across the country that were in the process of unionizing. The National Labor Relations Board has issued 39 official complaints against Starbucks, encompassing more than 900 alleged violations of federal labor law.