KENNEWICK, Wash. – Starbucks holds its annual Red Cup Day every third Tuesday in November. Customers receive a free reusable coffee cup with the purchase of a drink.
Starbucks workers nationwide held a walkout called the Red Cup Rebellion. Workers United said the walkout is in response to the company refusing to fairly negotiate with any location that voted to organize or unionize.
Starbucks claims it’s the union that is not negotiating fairly.
According to Starbucks Workers United, more than 350 stores nationwide have voted to unionize, including stores in Spokane and Prosser.
Claudia, a former Starbucks worker, said they worked at Starbucks for over two years and saw their work hours drop.
“I was getting 20 to 25, which is fine for a part-time gig,” Claudia said. “I think my managers learned that I was trying to organize with some friends in the store and cut my hours down to four.”
Starbucks released a statement saying:
Starbucks is dedicated to partner-centric scheduling and providing partners with hours that align with their individual needs and preferences is a top priority.
Claudia and the other organizers want to show their support and solidarity for current workers, saying current working conditions are not good.
In that same statement from Starbucks, they had this to say about the walkout:
We are aware that Workers United has publicized a day of action at a small subset of our U.S. stores today. We remain committed to working with all partners, side-by-side, to elevate the every day and hope Workers United’s priorities will shift to include the shared success of our partners.
NonStop Local called the Prosser Starbucks that recently decided to unionize to ask if it had any walkouts and according to the store it did not.
However, the Walla Walla store on Plaza Way did have a protest.
The walkout at the 7600 Clearwater Ave. Starbucks ran from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.