Take Action against Starbucks!
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Richmond Industrial Workers of the World R-IWW
Nov 13, 2013, 8:52:19 AM11/13/13
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Dear friends and comrades
You may have heard a lot about Starbucks lately. Baristas in Chile, who make about $2.50 per hour, recently went on strike because the company refused to negotiate with them. While the strike is now over, the workers in Chile have promised to continue the fight in other ways.
Another group of workers at a company that supplies cups to Starbucks, Pactiv, are fighting against unacceptable cuts to their pay and benefits, and they need our help to put the heat on Starbucks! Starbucks has ignored Pactiv's attack on its workers and turned a blind eye to the violation of it's own Supplier Code of Conduct, which states suppliers must demonstrate "a commitment to the welfare and economic improvement" of their employees. Workers at the Pactiv plant in Stockton, CA, represented by Local 83 of the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers, are protesting outside of Starbucks corporate headquarters on November 25th, and have called for a global day of action to take place at the same time.
We at the IWW Starbucks Workers Union fully support and endorse this day of action, and call on all IWW branches, members, and allies able to do so to head to the busiest Starbucks location near you on the 25th and let the company know that their union-busting will not be tolerated, and that they are responsible for the outrageous anti-worker behavior of their suppliers.
Pactiv is not the only Starbucks supplier attacking its workers. Employees at the Maximus Coffee plant in Houston, Texas are currently on strike after their bosses attempted to force a 25-50% pay cut with corresponding cuts in benefits on them. Starbucks is one of the retailers that Maximus roasts, packages, and processes coffee beans for. Just as they have with Pactiv, Starbucks has remained silent about this blatant violation of it own "ethical" policies.
Meanwhile, the IWW Starbucks Workers Union continues to fight for better wages, better conditions, and respect at work for the company's tens of thousands of baristas in the U.S. Many SWU organizers have been illegally fired since our union was founded in 2004, so we know all too well what union-busting feels like.
The bottom line is, we need your help to make this day of action a success. With enough participation from IWW branches and allies around the country, we can make Starbucks worry about their squeaky-clean public image enough to pressure Pactiv into treating its workers fairly. A successful wave of actions around the country and the world will remind Starbucks that we are monitoring their activities, and that union-busting, anti-worker behavior will not be tolerated from them or their suppliers. It can also inform Starbucks workers that the IWW Starbucks Workers Union exists and can help them fight for better conditions, which could assist our organizing efforts greatly.
If you can commit to organizing an action on the 25th in solidarity with the Pactiv workers in Stockton, CA and all the workers around the world who Starbucks and their suppliers exploit, please respond to this email and let us know what you can do. We can supply fliers and supplemental information.
Dear friends and comrades
You may have heard a lot about Starbucks lately. Baristas in Chile, who make about $2.50 per hour, recently went on strike because the company refused to negotiate with them. While the strike is now over, the workers in Chile have promised to continue the fight in other ways.
Another group of workers at a company that supplies cups to Starbucks, Pactiv, are fighting against unacceptable cuts to their pay and benefits, and they need our help to put the heat on Starbucks! Starbucks has ignored Pactiv's attack on its workers and turned a blind eye to the violation of it's own Supplier Code of Conduct, which states suppliers must demonstrate "a commitment to the welfare and economic improvement" of their employees. Workers at the Pactiv plant in Stockton, CA, represented by Local 83 of the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers, are protesting outside of Starbucks corporate headquarters on November 25th, and have called for a global day of action to take place at the same time.
We at the IWW Starbucks Workers Union fully support and endorse this day of action, and call on all IWW branches, members, and allies able to do so to head to the busiest Starbucks location near you on the 25th and let the company know that their union-busting will not be tolerated, and that they are responsible for the outrageous anti-worker behavior of their suppliers.
Pactiv is not the only Starbucks supplier attacking its workers. Employees at the Maximus Coffee plant in Houston, Texas are currently on strike after their bosses attempted to force a 25-50% pay cut with corresponding cuts in benefits on them. Starbucks is one of the retailers that Maximus roasts, packages, and processes coffee beans for. Just as they have with Pactiv, Starbucks has remained silent about this blatant violation of it own "ethical" policies.
Meanwhile, the IWW Starbucks Workers Union continues to fight for better wages, better conditions, and respect at work for the company's tens of thousands of baristas in the U.S. Many SWU organizers have been illegally fired since our union was founded in 2004, so we know all too well what union-busting feels like.
The bottom line is, we need your help to make this day of action a success. With enough participation from IWW branches and allies around the country, we can make Starbucks worry about their squeaky-clean public image enough to pressure Pactiv into treating its workers fairly. A successful wave of actions around the country and the world will remind Starbucks that we are monitoring their activities, and that union-busting, anti-worker behavior will not be tolerated from them or their suppliers. It can also inform Starbucks workers that the IWW Starbucks Workers Union exists and can help them fight for better conditions, which could assist our organizing efforts greatly.
If you can commit to organizing an action on the 25th in solidarity with the Pactiv workers in Stockton, CA and all the workers around the world who Starbucks and their suppliers exploit, please respond to this email and let us know what you can do. We can supply fliers and supplemental information.
Thank you very much, and solidarity
-The IWW Starbucks Workers UnionRichmond Industrial Workers of the World • P.O. Box 7055 • Richmond, Virginia 23221-0055
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