STOCK QUOTES     More market data...

Wobblies win right for a union election at NYC Starbucks

By Thomas Ginsberg
Knight Ridder Newspapers

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most read articles Most e-mailed articles

Members of the Philadelphia-based Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), a century-old leftist organization also known as the Wobblies, said yesterday they hope the vote by late July will boost membership nationwide in their Starbucks Baristas Union.

"This is a tremendous victory," said Daniel Gross, an IWW member and organizer of the Starbucks Baristas Union at the 36th Street and Madison Avenue location.

The New York regional office of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), backing up the union, ruled Friday that the workers just in store No. 7365 of the 8,000-store chain constituted an appropriate unit for unionizing. Starbucks wanted workers from 50 stores in lower Manhattan to be eligible to vote.

The NLRB did side with the company in letting shift supervisors in the store take part in the vote, which could dilute the union's support.

"We are pleased that it agreed with Starbucks over the union's objections," said Audrey Lincoff, spokeswoman for Seattle-based Starbucks.

Voting will be overseen by the NLRB. If the union wins the workers' endorsement, shop managers are obligated to negotiate with it over workers' pay, conditions or other issues.

Even before a vote in Manhattan, Gross said the union may file a complaint against Starbucks over alleged attempts to influence the vote, including "outright bribes such as giving workers pizza dinners and Mets tickets."

Last week, the company spokeswoman said managers are encouraged to reward workers regularly with gifts and what she called "random acts of kindness."

The organizing effort is being mounted under the retail-workers branch of the IWW, whose international headquarters has been located in West Philadelphia since 2000.

The international endorses the Starbucks effort, but it was unclear how much extra support it may give, said general-secretary treasurer Alexis Buss. Unlike traditional trade unions, the IWW is an organization of individual members, not union locals.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

E-mail this article

Print this article

Search archive

More business & technology headlines...