In the US, Starbucks is known for its generous employee benefits, cuz part-time baristas get medical insurance and other cool stuff. But I guess the Starbucks workers in New Zealand don’t feel the mermaid’s been generous at all. Starbucks “partners” from 10 different stores in NZ walked out today, asking for higher wages. (Thanks for the tip, tailos!)
Their complaint, according to campaign coordinator Simon Oosterman: “Starbucks workers start on $10 an hour, only fifty cents above the minimum wage. Workers hours are not guaranteed and can, and have been, cut from 40 to 20 hours. In Australia, Starbucks workers earn almost $5 more per hour than their New Zealand workmates. We are only asking for $2 more per hour.”
With a lil help from XE.com, I figured out that the workers are asking for what would be a starting wage rate of $8.33 USD, up from the current $6.94 USD.
I have no idea how that compares to the pay rates in the US, but I do know that Starbucks works to bust unions here — which helps explain why only 300 out of 80,000 workers globally are unionized.
BTW — Last year, the relatively new Starbucks Baristas Union (organized in New York with IWW IU/660) joined Global Exchange’s call to Starbucks to up its fair trade certified purchases to 5 percent of its coffee.
Currently, 1.6% of Starbucks’ coffee is fair trade certified.
Update, 11/29/05: Now the Starbucks workers in NYC have charged Starbucks with union busting.
Filed in: starbuckschallenge starbucks union strike fairtrade coffee
A quick question for a curious mind:
Why only focus the challenge on starbucks? Surely, other coffee chains and independants are just as bad if not worse. Why shouldn’t we name and shame these miscreants as well?
Comment by Saladin — November 23, 2005 @ 9:26 pm
Please feel free to name and shame! I’d be in full support :) The Starbucks Challenge is taking up all the blog time I have at the moment, but I’ve been in touch with another blogger who’s thinking of doing something similar with Dunkin’ Donuts, for ex.
Why I’m personally interested in focusing on Starbucks right now: Starbucks, more than any other company that does NOT make fair trade coffee purchases a significant portion of their buy, talks really, really big. You know — Starbucks and FT have the same goals, we’ll make you an FT cup any day any time, etc. etc. I guess what bothers me is that the mermaid gives so much lip service to fair trade — and profits from their association with the fair trade movement — while taking relatively little action to buy and promote fair trade certified products.
The other reason: They’re so damn big — and getting bigger. If they made a change, that would mean a HUGE change for the fair trade movement and beleagured farmers around the globe…
Comment by Siel — November 23, 2005 @ 10:05 pm
Starbucks busts unions?
I didn’t know that - I’ll never buy coffee there again (which doesn’t really mean anything - I don’t go there much anyways, but now I’ve really got a good reason).
Thanks for cluing me in!
Comment by Peggy Archer — November 27, 2005 @ 11:49 am