What Do Starbucks And Wal-mart Have In Common?

5 Questions | By Stopstarbucks | Updated: Mar 20, 2022 | Attempts: 1015

Both companies have a sordid union-busting past. Both intimidate and terminate workers who seek to organize and negotiate fairer wages and health benefits. And both have repeatedly violated federal labor laws and spent millions in legal fees to quash unionization efforts and punish workers. Stop Starbucks spills the beans about Starbucks' atrocious labor practices in the same way Brave New Films tackled retail giant Wal-Mart.

Questions and Answers

1.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz once wrote his workers should:
- A.
  
  "feel free to organize a union if they feel their wages are too low and their benefits are insufficient."
- B.
  
  "help themselves to a free Iced Chai Latte on the house if they're thinking about forming a union."
- C.
  
  "believe in their hearts that management trusted them and treated them with respect...If they had faith in me and my motives, they wouldn’t need a union."
2.

In 2008, the National Labor Relations Board found Starbucks guilty of:
- A.
  
  Giving their customers an Iced Caramel Macchiato when they specifically asked for an Iced Caffe Mocha.
- B.
  
  terminating three workers in retaliation for union activities and repeatedly discriminating against union supporters.
- C.
  
  Not letting employees use their bathrooms during work hours
3.

At a Washington state roasting plant, Starbucks workers filed local, state, and federal charges of:
- A.
  
  Coercion and discrimination.
- B.
  
  Health and safety violations.
- C.
  
  Intimidation and physical assault.
- D.
  
  All of the above.
4.

Starbucks' employees are not guaranteed set hours, and the company's Optimal Scheduling policy forces workers who want to work full-time hours to be available:
- A.
  
  40 hours a week, because those are full-time hours.
- B.
  
  60 hours a week, this is getting ridiculous.
- C.
  
  80.5 hours a week, but that means low-wage earning baristas probably don't have time to take a second job.
5.

Because Starbucks' Optimal Work Schedule often precludes employees from working the 240 hours per quarter required to qualify for health coverage, the company insures:
- A.
  
  60% of its 127,000 U.S. workers.
- B.
  
  50% of its 127,000 U.S. workers.
- C.
  
  Less than 42% of its 127,000 U.S. workers (less than Wal-Mart, which insures about 47% of workers).