>> We've always managed to overcome the obstacles and challenges. The resiliency of the company
is directly related to the leadership that you have provided. But the challenges right
now are real and they're in front of us and the challenges are multiple. The pandemic,
a post pandemic customer, the relationship we have with our customers, competitive threats.
And now a new outside force that's trying desperately to disrupt our company. Well,
I believe in Starbucks more than ever because I believe in all of you. My faith and confidence
in the future of Starbucks is based on my faith and confidence in you. Not some outside force
that's gonna dictate or disrupt what we are and who we are and who we are and what we do.
>> So that right there is of course the CEO of Starbucks Howard Schultz saying that he has
faith in the group of managers that he's talking to, to stop what is happening
at Starbucks. Which is an incredibly successful, almost impossible to imagine.
Quick number of stores being flipped to union supporting and he says it's an outside force.
Their employees in many cases have worked there for a very long time. We've interviewed
some of them here on the program and he doesn't want the unionization push. So
he's fought against that in a number of different ways. There's been tactics in the New York area
where they're like flooding stores with managers to intimidate the workers there.
They do have a new plan though and it is sounds at least on the surface pretty good.
They're gonna be hiking wages and doubling trainees for new training for new employees.
They said it's gonna be immediate nationwide pay increases with better sick time benefits.
And for the first time the option for customers to tip with their credit cards coming this fall.
I find it inconceivable that you couldn't do that up until now, but I don't really go to Starbucks.
So this sounds pretty good, David, higher pay, more sick time. Little tiny caveat on it though,
and that is that they will not be offering the enhanced benefits to
workers at the roughly 50 company owned cafes that have already voted to unionize.
Such changes that unionized stores would have to come through bargaining. So they're trying to co
opt the movement, or at least the workers who might become a part of the movement, naturally
by saying. Don't go with this group that will, for the rest of your career at Starbucks be
fighting for your interest, take this little raise now, okay, it's pretty diabolical.
What do you think? >> It's funny because
they're trying to stop this movement at the same time, they are proving the benefit of unions and
how they benefit everyone. Because even if you're not in a union and this isn't about Starbucks,
this is regardless of company. The more that Unions exist, the higher wages and benefits are.
Because those nonunionized workplaces now have to compete with the unionized
workplaces. And you're seeing a microcosm example of that right here at Starbucks,
they realize to compete with this union effort, they have to actually raise pay,
offer more benefits. Maybe listen to their partners, they call them their workers.
So this is just an attempt to stop this but ultimately,
these unions can organize and fight for the same benefits, the same pay. I mean,
these scare tactics here, I don't think they're going to work. It's important regardless of pay
benefits ,all that, it's important for workers to be able to have their own voice.
To have an organized fight on their side against their ownership, against the capital owners.
I mean, that's ultimately how we generate power, how we have power, how we fight for
better things higher wages benefits.
So it's important to have this, regardless of what Starbucks is offering non united employees.
But even still, I mean, as I said, I think it's showing the benefit of this fight overall,
it's it's helping everybody. >> Yeah ,and by the way it is just
the most recent demonstration that these sorts of efforts, when they start to get successful.
And they start to get coverage could have benefits for people outside of just the movement.
I mean, we know, a few years back when Bernie was supporting efforts to try to unionize Amazon. And
fighting for the rights of workers at Disney, both of those corporations
preemptively came out with higher wages. I think walmart did the exact same thing.
Now that doesn't mean that you shouldn't still unionize because
there's the public health crisis that we're still in the middle of is a reminder.
That pay isn't the only thing that your corporation needs to have your interests in.
But it shows that having this movement
and having it be supported by at least some national politicians. And having them sort
of start start to rack up wins has benefits outside of just those workers.
The Starbucks activists that we had on like a week or two ago said they've been contacted
by workers at a bunch of other companies. You wanna know more about how they can help
to organize. I know Chris Smalls of the Amazon union, he says the same thing like
they, it's basically you're developing strategies.
And institutional memory that you can then help out other workers with. And by the way,
I wanted to just briefly Starbucks workers union had a statement
about what Schultz is announcing here saying these benefits. Including ones we've demanded
since the beginning of our campaign are a response to our organizing efforts.
And we should celebrate the hard work that partners
who stood up to Howard Schultz is bullying put in to make this happen. Many of the proposed
benefits have been proposed at the bargaining table in Buffalo and that is great. So we are
seeing more and more stores unionized, like basically every week at this point.
Credit to those who are doing it now, credit especially to those who did it early on.
They were up against so much David. But it is great to see a lot of workers whether on the
union side or maybe now even on the non union side at least briefly, their lot in life be improved.
>> Yeah and from what I understand, Schultz has a history of this kind of union busting. So,
I mean, he's been doing this his entire career. So that to have, now this kind of come back
on him blow back and he is running around with like with his head cut off, trying to stop this.
It's almost hilarious to watch because this is really caught fire. I mean,
this came out of nowhere. Even I didn't expect,
Starbucks to what is like 50 stores now that are, that have won their union vote. I mean,
yeah, it's something it's insane. So it's showing you just how needed, how desired this was that.
It wasn't just one or two places that they were
claiming at the beginning. Just a couple of stories that are unhappy.
No, it appears to be a lot of them and this is going to keep happening and to see
the organizing or the communication between them and amazon workers as well and others.
And have that sort of this organized fight together
regardless of the workplace, is just very inspiring.