Subject: A Coffee Giant Springs More Leaks: LRI INK

January 13, 2022
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A Coffee Giant Springs More Leaks

Starbucks experienced a hole in the dike in December with employees at one Buffalo, NY location voting to create their first unionized cafe in the company’s 50-year history. The very existence of Starbucks Workers United (part of Workers United, an SEIU affiliate), without a doubt, points towards ramped-up union activity in a previously difficult-to-organize industry, partially due to high turnover among staff.

In the aftermath of the coffeehouse giant’s seemingly invulnerable streak ending, an increasing number of the company’s 8,000+ cafes are looking to spring further leaks:
  • A second Starbucks in the Buffalo area voted to unionize with the NLRB confirming the news this week. Starbucks could choose to appeal within 10 days of this vote; if that appeal isn’t successful, the union vote becomes final, and the company must bargain with Starbucks Workers United. Conversely, the union lost an election at a third cafe in the Buffalo area, and the union is appealing that outcome.

  • Starbucks employees throughout the U.S. are reportedly hoping to start a tidal wave. The NRLB ordered an election for an Arizona cafe, and workers in Massachusetts, Arizona, Oregon, Illinois, Colorado, New Jersey, and Tennessee also petitioned the NLRB for elections. Likewise, more Buffalo cafes and locations in Seattle (the home base of Starbucks and where it all began for them) wish to swiftly hop aboard the organizing bandwagon. 
While the entire restaurant world watches, more developments are sure to come. 

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Union Bailout

U.S. Labor Agencies Strike Deal To Share Enforcement Information https://lri.link/3ffefxT

Double Trouble: DOL’s Wage And Hour Division And NLRB Agree to Coordinate Information Sharing, Investigations, And Enforcement Activities https://lri.link/3r6OZ2C

NLRB Revisiting Business-Friendly Decision On Workplace Rules https://lri.link/3GjTVHN

NLRB Says Trump Appointee's Conflicts Warrant Review Of Rulings  https://lri.link/3tpySzE

Democrat-led NLRB Eyes New Independent Contractor And Joint Employer Tests https://lri.link/3zWNWWT

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Covid-19’s Impact On Healthcare

Asymptomatic Infected Health Care Workers Can Work, California Says https://lri.link/34NiwXH

Nurses Union Slams 'Return to Work' COVID Guidelines In California https://lri.link/33r3ndA

Nurses Are Disappointed By The CDC Easing Isolation Rules, Union Says  https://lri.link/3zl4uHM

Riverside Hospital Union Employees Plan Walkout Over Working Conditions https://lri.link/34KewHl

Kaiser Workers Plan MLK Day Strike https://lri.link/3tinXIm

Niagara Health Puts Mandatory Vaccination Policy On Hold, Citing 'Intensity' Of Omicron https://lri.link/3nhAjfJ

U.S. Hospitals Struggle to Match Walmart Pay As Staff Flees Omicron https://lri.link/3qfwtWs

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Organizing

Amazon Workers In Alabama Will Begin Voting Again On Unionization In February https://lri.link/3fiJwQM

DNC Staffers Vote To Unionize With Midterms Approaching  https://lri.link/3GgNO6P

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Airline Woes 

Delta Air Lines And A Union Spar Over Isolation Periods For Sick Workers https://lri.link/3K6Prq3

Airlines Joined Labor Unions To Save The Industry. But They Have Split On Isolation Time For Vaxxed But Infected Workers https://lri.link/3HWxSXR

Masking On Planes Now Pits Southwest Airlines Flight Attendants Against Noncompliant Pilots https://lri.link/3r8PCIQ

United Airlines: Employee Deaths Dropped To Zero After Vaccine Mandate https://lri.link/3nl3Yoy

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Tech/Media

Workers At Image Comics Vote To Certify Union https://lri.link/3FdJ7JT

Google Fiber Staff Seek Union Vote And Direct Negotiations With Alphabet https://lri.link/3FhnJDz

Federal Labor Officials Claim New York Times Violated Workplace Law https://lri.link/31KevC7

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Union Corruption 

Gov. Hochul Must Prevent A Mob-Busting Bistate Commission From Unraveling https://lri.link/3tbJ2DZ

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Manufacturing

Workers Sick With Omicron Add To Manufacturing Woes. ‘The Hope Was That 2022 Would Get Better.’ https://lri.link/3ncBE7t

China's Omicron Outbreak Is Bad News For Global Supply Chains https://lri.link/3qjMA5n

Southern California Ports Struggle To Trim Cargo Backlog As Omicron Surges https://lri.link/3fdMMfZ

America's Largest Coal Miners Union Asks Manchin To Reconsider Opposition To Build Back Better     https://lri.link/3toDt5h

NLRB Looking Into 3 Charges Of Unfair Labor Practices Filed Against USW Union, ExxonMobil https://lri.link/3njECay

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Retail

Strike at Kroger's King Soopers Stores Imminent As Union Talks Fail https://lri.link/3qhwY27

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Gig Economy 

Gig Economy Companies Brace for Crucial Year as Challenges Mount https://lri.link/3qiPZkP
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