Now there's also some good news, I don't want this to be a downer.
Because if you look at what's happening across the country,
there are efforts at many different Starbucks stores to unionized.
In fact, Bernie Sanders has congratulated their efforts in a tweet, so
in this tweet, he says, congratulations to Starbucks workers.
Who are now organizing union shops across the country in New York, Arizona,
Washington, Tennessee, Colorado, Oregon, Ohio, good luck.
There's so many different examples, there are also stores in Florida, New Jersey.
Who have petitioned for a union and much like the response they received in buffalo
New York in regard to their demands for simple things like K95 masks.
The Starbucks stores have unfortunately reacted
in a similar way to these efforts to unionize.
And so I want to give you a little snippet from this video,
it's in regard to an Arizona Starbucks store that's attempting to unionize.
And here's what they've been met with from their management.
>> They had a couple of meetings where they split us up,
they offered us pizza and stuff.
Kind of like trying to get on our good side before telling us,
you have to vote no.
>> So this is an anti union meeting and they're like, no, it's not.
And so I asked him, I was like, are the only reasons you're having this meeting,
one, to give a space to ask and two, to vote no one unions.
And they're like, yes, that is why we're having this meeting and
I was like, cool, that is literally anti union.
If you're telling me no to union, I don't know what you think anti means,
but I think we can figure it out.
>> Refiling, we had asked for an ASM, we do not qualify for
an ASM or we're told that we don't make enough money for an ASM.
Once we filed, that Monday, we actually were assigned a new store manager.
And now we had two a ASMs, a week later,
we found out that we had to store managers and three ASMs.
>> And it's not like we're the only store in the district that needs help,
we're just the only store they're choosing to pay attention to.
And the only thing that sets us apart is that we filed to unionize.
>> It does feel kind of intimidating because there's these people have
the power to just just take you out, you're not working there anymore.
For one reason or the other, they put me down as sick when I was only visiting my
mom at the hospital cuz I had to cut off.
>> And he's right about that, in fact, there have already been workers who have
lost their jobs as a result of taking part in these organizing efforts.
Let me give you an example of Brittany Harrison, for instance,
a store manager from Arizona, Mess, Arizona.
Specifically blew the whistle on Starbucks' tactic of
importing managers from around the country to Buffalo locations.
As a way of suppressing the union as a result of speaking up.
She, who, by the way she is currently undergoing chemotherapy to treat leukemia,
face termination by the company.
But here's the good news, and
possibly the only major upside of the Biden administration.
Remember, the Biden administration is able to appoint pretty
important people within the NLRB.
And as a result, the NLRB is a lot more friendly to labor compared to
what we experienced under the Trump administration.
So let me give you details on that, so Starbucks was unable to stop the NLRB from
clearing the store's request to hold an election.
A US labor official granted a request by Arizona workers at Starbucks,
to hold an election that could expand the new unionized foothold
at the retail coffee chain.
Rejecting the company's arguments against holding store by store votes.
The National Labor Relations board regional director ordered the ballots to
be mailed out on January 14th.
To employees at a store in Mesa, Arizona,
who will have until January 28th to return them.
So that's great news, and one other piece of great news, before I go to you,
John, there's another Starbucks store that managed to unionize.
Let's go to this tweet,
Genesee street becomes the second unionized Starbucks in the United States.
So that's another one in Buffalo, New York, to be specific.
>> Yeah, and you can see how seriously they're taking the threat, and
how seriously they took it before there was even the first.
Because success is going to breed more attempts,
which is going to lead to more success.
And especially, once they're established and
they start actually protecting the workers.
I would say honestly, regardless of what way it goes with the Elmwood location.
That's going to demonstrate to other workers,
this could actually be beneficial.
Maybe it's worth the trouble and
the success is going to make them more willing to try.
So I think Starbucks fears were justified and
we're probably gonna see a lot more of it coming soon.
>> Yes, and new reporting indicates that the striking Starbucks workers in Buffalo,
New York are going to report back to work on Monday, unfortunately.
But these are good steps, we're headed in the right direction.
And I like to see how much it's inspiring labor activity,
not just within Starbucks, but various companies across the country.