Now workers at 10 Starbucks stores in CO have voted for union representation. By a vote of 15-1 this month, employees at the 144th and I-25 Starbucks in Westminister join with 311 unionized stores across the nation. In other labor news, the Colorado Legislature established the Direct Care Workforce Stabilization Board, which gives care workers, care receivers, care employers, and the state government a role in defining how the state can address inadequate pay, lack of benefits and the exodus of care workers, leaving care receivers in the lurch.

Starbucks union advances despite management resistance

There are 495 corporate Starbucks stores in Colorado.

The unionized stores include four in the Denver metro area, and one each in Superior, Boulder, and Greeley. One store in Breckenridge rejected the union vote, while a Colorado Springs store had a tied vote.

Union organizer Malachi Dray said the union is actively, but quietly, working with four more stores at this moment. He didn’t want to identify any specific stores actively unionizing, he said, to forestall Starbucks intimidation campaigns, which have been documented by National Labor Relations Board investigations in Colorado and throughout the country.

Hannah Royer and Marrissa Avila led the unionization drive at the latest Starbucks store to vote for union representation in Colorado.

“We work in an older store with construction and cleanliness issues,” said Avila. Royer and Avila noted that the building is falling apart, with leaky pipes, deteriorating tile grout, mold buildup, and insect infestations. Starbuck stores are not inspected by county or state health inspectors, but by a private company that looks at standards set by Starbucks. No action is taken on what employees regard as glaring problems, said Avila.

Royer and Avila noted that when an independent construction inspector did a walk-through of their store, a Starbucks manager dismissed his issues as non-problems. “The company is replacing tile floors and grout this week,” said Avila, but not under sinks and cabinets where problems have festered for five years.

Royer said extensive renovation construction and professional deep cleaning is needed, by people other than the current work crew. “We don’t have that expertise,” she said.

Concerns about deteriorating conditions had been building for months, said Royer, but never addressed by management. The tipping point came in January of this year, when hours were cut in half. 

“We started talking about getting a union going,” said Royer. She and Avila then learned how to start a union, then brought in their co-workers, one-by-one. 

“We didn’t have any leaks,” said Royer and they started the formal process in March, where the majority signed cards indicating an interest in joining a union. 

A review of intimidation playbook tactics by Starbucks managers around the nation includes:

  • A range of threats to individual workers, union advocates and entire store crews;
  • Extensive anti-union propaganda and misinformation;
  • Removal of union information from the work place;
  • Closing stores that were in the process of unionizing or had just approved joining a union;
  • Pulling managers in from other stores to aggressively harp on problems or policies never or rarely addressed before;
  • Remove rubber floor mats in front of work station that protect workers from leg and foot strain;
  • Impose excessively long hours or drastically cut hours;
  • Drastic changes in shifts by time of day, thereby disrupting worker/student class schedules or daycare arrangements for workers who are parents of young children.
  • Private meetings between individual workers and management teams. Management sometimes makes veiled or real threats.

Multiple requests for comment from Starbucks management were not returned.

Royer and Avila said that while Starbucks managers talk like they want to go ahead and hold negotiation talks with the union, no negotiations have been held, not even with stores or the union from the earliest union wins.

“All they do is stall,” said Royer. It is hard to find evidence of Starbucks management “acting in good faith” they added, noting the treatment union-approving workers experienced in Superior and the “Barn” Colfax store in Denver.

National Labor Relations Board reports noted a lack of credibility by managers while investigating employee complaints.

Starbucks has stores around the world. According to London’s Morning Star website, Starbucks hired a woman with CIA/State Department and Pinkerton Detective Agency experience, to manage Global Intelligence for retail operations of the coffee giant.

According to her Linked-In profile, Amanda Stanfill was recruited by Starbucks in March, as it faces unionizing gains among its 9,000 American stores, including the 311 unionized Starbucks stores. Stanfill’s profile states she has been responsible for “cross-functional intelligence collection efforts” for past employers.

March was the same month that Starbucks founder and billionaire Howard Schultz testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, chaired by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Some verbal exhanges between Schultz and Sanders got a bit testy, as Schultz denied illegal treatment of Starbucks workers. Sanders countered: “Over the past 18 months, Staerbucks has waged the most aggressive and illegal union-busting campaign in the modern history of our country.” Sanders pressed Schultz to committ to negotiating a union contract with the earliest union-approving shops, which Schultz refused, saying the company would not negotiate in live-Zoom sessions, as demanded by the union.

Care workers get input 

Historically, care workers have often been women of color, self-employed, and often worked for poor pay and benefits. That made it especially challenging for them to gain union representation and protections. The new board bill, established by the Colorado Legislature this year, is widely viewed as a major step toward better pay and benefits for caregivers, and thus stemming the exodus of workers from the field.

The care workers board bill has attracted strong support from advocates from care consumers, organizations and advocates within Colorado’s disability community, and groups representing aging Coloradans. Once it is signed by the governor, members must be appointed to the Board no later than October 1.

The Board will consist of 15 members — four direct care workers, four representing direct care consumers, four employer or employer organizations, and one representative from the Department of Labor and Employment. Board members will gather information and issue recommendations about wages, benefits, and working conditions for consideration by the Colorado Legislature and the governor. The board must report its initial recommendations by September 1, 2024.

“Simply put, we don’t have enough direct care providers in our state,” said Sen. Jessie Danielson (D- Wheat Ridge). “There are a lot of older adults and Coloradans with disabilities who depend on the critical care these workers provide. Colorado’s population is aging rapidly and the need for care workers is too. This legislation is a key part of how Colorado can address immediate concerns and also plan for the future, to not only stabilize the workforce but also grow and improve it, to ensure better conditions and pay and better care for consumers.” 

Colorado is the second-fastest aging state in the nation, with the population of 65 and over expected to grow 49 percent by 2030. Among the elderly, the vast majority will prefer to receive this care in the comfort of their home and community. Low pay and benefits have created a care worker shortage has made accessing continuous care a challenge for many Coloradans.