It also reflects long-running frustration by some white-collar staff with Starbucks’s response to the union campaign, which US labor board prosecutors have alleged included illegal threats and terminations of around 50 activists. He told white-collar staff that baristas “are asking us to do the transformative work that I believe can only be done effectively when we are physically together.”Įmployees say their protest letter emerged from online discussions over the past couple months that were triggered in part by Schultz’s January email. In January, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz sent a memo requiring workers within commuting distance to return to the office three days a week. The remainder work in corporate support, store development, roasting, manufacturing, warehousing and distribution. Starbucks employs about 258,000 people in the US, with 248,000 of those at its company-operated stores, according to data released by the company. The letter was signed by about four dozen white-collar workers, who organizers said also represent others who withheld their names due to fear of retaliation. The company has repeatedly denied violating labor laws and said that all claims of anti-union activity there are “categorically false.” Starbucks did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It could also be a precursor to eventual unionization efforts by white-collar Starbucks staff themselves, who argue the company has violated the values that are supposed to set it apart. The collective activism by headquarters staff adds pressure on incoming Chief Executive Officer Laxman Narasimhan to resolve the bitter dispute with Starbucks Workers United, the labor group which last year organized a few hundred of the chain’s 9,000 corporate-run US locations. “We believe in Starbucks, we believe in its core values, and we call for a return to those values,” the white collar staffers wrote. “Morale is at an all-time low, and the brand reputation and financial value of this publicly traded company are at risk.” Both violating baristas’ unionization rights, and subjecting white-collar staff to an abrupt return-to-office mandate, the letter argues, reflect the same problem: “Not listening to partners.” “We love Starbucks, but these actions are fracturing trust in Starbucks leadership,” the workers wrote in their letter, which was sent to senior executives and board members and will be posted on a website Wednesday.
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