The New York Times is reporting that the National Labor Relations Board has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against Starbucks for firing, intimidating and interrogating employees who supported efforts to unionize four of its stores in New York City. Apparently, this isn’t the first time Starbucks has been caught violating the law:
“Thirteen months ago, Starbucks reached a settlement with the Industrial Workers of the World, agreeing to offer jobs back to two workers and to pay nearly $2,000 to several employees after the labor board brought a separate set of charges against the company, accusing it of illegally seeking to quash efforts to unionize.”
Over the years, I have become addicted their high priced coffee. I even got gift cards from my kids for my birthday. Well, I guess that is all gone now – until Starbucks cleans up its act.
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AKA the Wobblies? THEY’RE still around and THAT’S who Starbucks is afraid of? It’s the Red Menace!! ROFLOLMAO….
It’s very good to them. A college kid I know has worked there for years and loves it.
If Starbucks were unionized, she’d hate it.
Another latte, please.
Starbucks, Costco, and other corporations who treat employees as assets rather than expenditures draining away potential profits are rewarded with loyalty and hard work that isn’t apparent in the quarterly reports. Very good place for retail workers.
That said, Starbucks makes awful coffee and espresso. Look for an independent shop since their employees probably know the fine art of pulling espresso shots and brewing a good cup of coffee.
Coffee at starbucks went downhill after the implementation of the automatic espresso bars (thank you for spelling it correctly). In fact, Howard Schultz recently said that the ambiance that once made starbucks great has been lost, and they should bring back the old bars. As a six year veteran I prided myself on my ability to coax great shots out, and I dont even like coffee.
They really went the McDonald’s route when they decided to automate the espresso. Overpulled shots are harsh and very bitter. Automation in food and drink never leads to quality.
They are not overpulled! At least from a traditional timing perspective they are way underpulled. Previously, the recommended shot time was 18-23 (Im more of a 16 second shot person myself) with the automated it is like 13-19, generally they are closer to thirteen.
Do they have machine tamp in the grounds too? I wonder if that has something to do with it.
Completely automated. Grinding to tamping to pulling. The grounds are even dispensed into a handy container that alerts you when it is full.
I like to try new coffee pubs every-so-often. The mom & pop shops treat their employees well, don’t force them to wear ugly green aprons, or listen to cheezy music being sold at the cash register.
Occasionaly I will stop in to Starbucks for a cup, but that is rare. I prefer the atmosphere and variety of the local shops around the corner.
with a company that treats them well?
I think I’m overdue for one of those caramel machiatto latte’s. Sorry if I got any of that wrong Toodles.
Maybe they feel that they arent being treated fairly. Maybe the want to organize a company that previously has been averse to unions. I have no idea.
On the whole, I would say that Starbucks treats their front line employees well, but I have also seen managers and district managers flout company regulations to acheive fire an employee with whom they have had disagreements. I’ve seen purgings go down at stores where their numbers are through the roof, and the customers are extremely loyal.
Fact of the matter is there could be any reason they want to organize, but they have been relatively unsuccessful.
And when ordering a caramel macchiato (sp?) there is no need to add the word “latte.” That was a big pet peeve.
Because, although the name of the drink is caramel macchiato, it’s a latte, not a macchiato.
Sorry, but my days of slinging coffee were not done at Starbucks. While it’s a good drink, the misnomer drives me up the wall. A macchiato is espresso with a dollop of milk foam on top which “marks” the espresso, served in a demitasse or tiny paper cup. (Macchiato is Italian for “mark.”) It’s why I laugh at the “macchiato mark” label that Dobby is trying to foist on Udall; it’s a macho thing to drink straight espresso and that dollop of foam doesn’t cut the intensity at all. (Also, “Macchiato Mark” translates to “Mark Mark” in English, another source of amusement.)
The caramel macchiato, when made correctly, is syrup-milk-shots through the foam-caramel drzzled on top. It is a sort of upside down latte with vanilla and caramel. Its marked with caramel ;).
Starbucks was a good high school/college jobs. The tips gave me some walking around money and the stock options paid for my final semester of college, so I cant knock them too much. Terms like “mocha latte” always got to me. Its a mocha.
I can now see the Baristas shooting each other exasperated looks as I drive off with my….cup of coffee.
The ordering is not such a big deal, but politeness goes along way. I have no doubt that you are polite, but for everybody else just remember this, baristas make the drink that start, and can impact, your day (you could get decaf).
I’m purely a caffeinated girl and I’m always polite to the Barista! (Aside from the issue of politeness, it is never smart to be rude to someone preparing something you plan to ingest:)
when I accidentally gave full strength to people who asked for decaf. Pure habit, we made espresso caffeinated 99% of the time and decaf 1%, so it was easy to go on autopilot and pull from the wrong grinder. I often wondered if the customers ever realized what they got… And yes, it was an accident. Even with total jerks I never screwed with their order. Dragged my feet on getting their drinks, sure, but messing with the order just wasn’t right.
I know it was childish, but politeness takes no time at all. As Lauren points out, never mess with the people that prepare your food. I wouldnt give a person caffeine when they ordered decaf, because I had a few customers that after questioning their choice of decaf at 9 am on a Tuesday a few mentioned they were pregnant(undetectable). There was one exception. A guy made a really inappropriate comment to me about a coworker of mine. No matter when he came in I always gave him the reverse.
That’s great!