Starbucks workers organized debraying this week in dozens of cafes in the United States to protest a change in policy in their dress code which, according to their union, should have been carried out thanks to collective negotiations.
Since May 11, more than 2,000 baristas in more than 100 stores, especially in Wisconsin, Florida and Pennsylvania, have been out “to protest the company’s failure to prioritize the Baristas,” said the union on Friday.
The demonstrations responded to an announcement of Starbucks in April that from May 12, the baristas would be required to wear shirts with black crew, collar or button with khaki, black or blue backgrounds, referring to pants, shorts or skirts under their aprons.
The company said that “more simplified color options” would allow traditional green aprons worn by the baristas to “shine and create a feeling of familiarity for our customers, whatever the store they visit in North America”.
But the United Workers, who represent baristas at 570 of the more than 10,000 stores in the United States, said that the change in policy without negotiations was “regressive”.
“Instead of solving the problems that customers really care, such as long waiting times and high prices, Starbucks prefers to focus on the colors that workers wear,” said the union on social networks this week.
Workers who participate in debraying leave for the rest of the quarter work but come back to work for their next quarter of work planned, he said.
The union said that many workers had already bought clothes approved from Starbucks that they were no longer allowed to wear in service. Starbucks said it would provide two shirts to employees if necessary.
Starbucks said in a statement that the disturbance had been minimal in the past four days. “It would be more productive than the union puts the same effort to return to the table to finalize a reasonable contract,” he said.
Starbucks and the union had temporarily accepted collective negotiations on changes in clothing code as part of the negotiations in progress for a new contract. In December, a negotiation session with the company failed to produce better wage earnings.
The union filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing Starbucks of engaging in a bad faith negotiation.
After Starbucks announced in April that he had changed the dress code, the union updated this complaint, saying that the company had compromised it by “moving the objective positions for collective negotiations”.
