Coffee Calorie Alert!

[b:62d828418e]World first for Starbucks as staff at 10 cafes strike [/b:62d828418e]
24 November 2005

A small-scale "symbolic" strike at Starbucks coffee store on Auckland's Karangahape Rd today heated up when workers at nine other stores spontaneously joined the picket line. The strike - which the union claims is a world first for the multinational company - was organised as part of the Unite union's SuperSizeMyPay.Com campaign to boost public awareness of the plight of low paid fastfood industry workers. Union coordinator Simon Oosterman said he was "absolutely disgusted" at the company's heavy-handed reaction to what was legal industrial action.

"They actually threatened to fire any worker who was not back at work within an hour, which is just an unacceptable bullying tactic," he told NZPA. "It was supposed to be a small symbolic strike in the heart of Auckland's cafe counter-culture. But what happened was, the company paid managers from around the city to do the work of the striking workers. When other employees got to hear about this, the text messages went all over the city, and we ended up with about 200 workers from 10 different Starbucks outlets joining us."

The union served free Fair Trade coffee to demonstrators and passersby. But the party atmosphere was ruined by the reaction of management, Mr Oosterman said. The starting wage at Starbucks was $10 an hour - 50 cents above the minimum wage - but the Unite workers union wanted it lifted to $12, Mr Oosterman said. He said Australian Starbucks workers earned about $5 an hour more than their New Zealand counterparts. Giving secure hours and other minimum entitlements were other campaign goals. Mr Oosterman said Unite had been in negotiations for several months with Restaurant Brands, which owns Starbucks, KFC and Pizza Hut in New Zealand.

"Just because there are others that treat their workers more badly, that doesn't mean it's good enough. These are companies that are making huge profits by exploiting the most vulnerable in our society: mainly women, Pacific Islanders, Maori, students and young people, and they are being subsidised by the taxpayer. Most of these workers are on family benefits and other Government handouts because they simply cannot survive on what they earn."

He said the casualisation of the workforce (fastfood outlets in New Zealand have a 70 per cent turnover), had traditionally made these industries very hard to organise. Internationally, Starbucks has only 300 union members out of 80,000 workers globally. One third of the union members are in New Zealand.

"There has been very little unionisation, these workers cannot afford to go on strike for long periods. I am blown away by the courage of these people in doing what they have done in standing up to a huge multi-national corporation."

The union will be campaigning outside fastfood outlets in Queen St during the Santa Parade, and will also be maintaining a presence at the Grey Lynn Festival to encourage community support. Green Party MP Sue Bradford, a long-time advocate for low-income workers, said she supported Unite's campaign for a higher minimum wage and better conditions for all workers.

"Starbucks workers are typical of those who have been left to languish in the low wage sector of the economy," she said in a statement. ?All workers in New Zealand, including those aged 16 and 17, should be getting $12 an hour as an absolute minimum. Taxpayers should not be subsidising employers through Working for Families and the Accommodation Supplement. Employers should pay enough for their workers to live on and not leave it to the Government to make up the difference."

She said workers in the fastfood industry where "particularly vulnerable", as they had little or no job security. "These workers deserve significant wage increases, rather than the taxpayer subsidies offered to some by Labour. While the Government had promised to raise the minimum wage, three years was too long to wait, she said. The Council of Trade Unions (CTU) is also putting its weight behind the campaign. CTU president Ross Wilson said New Zealand was in the grip of "a low wage crisis", and the $12 per hour wage claim was "clearly reasonable".

"Workers in the fast food industry are often on, or close to, minimum wage levels. Workers deserve a fair share of corporate profits, and a lift in the minimum wage to $12 an hour and the removal of youth rates will make a real difference to the incomes of these workers."

Restaurant Brands spokesman Alan Brookbanks said on Tuesday the company was "disappointed" by the union's action when negotiations had been going on some time. He was unavailable for comment yesterday. Restaurant Brands said it was "surprised and disappointed" that the Unite Union targeted its coffee stores to launch a campaign aimed at raising the minimum wage.

"We have an excellent relationship with our partners (staff) and respect their rights to belong to the union - it's a personal choice," said Restaurant Brands chief executive Vicki Salmon. "We pay above the minimum wage and in addition to the higher pay rate, Starbucks and Restaurant Brands offers well respected staff training programmes, a strong career path to management positions and flexible work hours for those that want them."

She said she believed "only a handful" of Starbucks' 7000 staff were involved in the rally. In response to the union's claims that some striking staff members were threatened with losing their jobs, a Starbucks spokeswoman said this allegation was "completely inaccurate". "Starbucks respects their staff's rights to belong to the union and bullying is not an approach they would take with their staff," she said.

While some staff had been told that they had to advise their managers if they intended to take part in the strike, it was not true that people had been told they would be fired if they were absent for more than an hour, she told NZPA.

Wow, NZ minimum wage is $9.50/hr? It's about $6.25 in the States. Yes, I know there's and exchange rate difference, but still.

I shall continue my boycott of Fourbucks Coffee, but now it's for the workers!

I support green tea...much healthier :icon_mrgreen:

[quote:600195fdb3="Pulsarblu"]I support green tea...much healthier :icon_mrgreen:[/quote:600195fdb3]

Yes, green tea has raves reviews in all sorts of health matters. Pity I can't bring myself to drink more of it. At least I don't drink this any more.

Yick...I'll never drink another soda or coffee after this thread! :smiley11:
At least people seem to care a bit more in NZ. Here in the States, everyone knows sodas, etc. are bad for them, but not many people care. Anyone who can watch Supersize Me and still eat at McDonald's has to be crazy! I suppose that explains our overall American fatness. :icon_rolleyes:


Coulliette

[quote:193e910803="Coulliette"]Yick...I'll never drink another soda or coffee after this thread![/quote:193e910803]
Er.......I hope these companies don't end up sueing me.[img:193e910803]http://www.crazypics.de/smilies/icq_big/0698.gif[/img:193e910803]

Let them try....you've got all of us on your side! :icon_eek:


:icon_lol:
Coulliette