Starbucks employees in Durham report problems after decision to unionize
Workers at a Starbucks in Durham say the company is giving them pushback after the store unionized in December.
Posted — UpdatedThe location at 6813 Fayetteville Road is the first Starbucks to unionize in the Triangle and the third in North Carolina.
Employees tell WRAL News they are overworked and understaffed.
"It's like more demands, and more demands, and more demands ... but we're not [hiring] more people," said Malinda Love, a barista at the Durham Starbucks.
Love and other employees said they've experienced increasing issues since they became unionized in December.
"Throughout the process of unionizing, it was kind of like bliss," said Russell Calzeretta, a shift supervisor. "Everything was getting fixed in our store."
However, "as soon as we voted, it's like all the support they were starting to bring in disappeared," Love said.
Pay is also a problem. Another barista, Liz Banjo, said Starbucks is cutting her hours.
"When I do get paid, my checks are $300 to $400 short now," Banjo said.
Earlier this month, employees protested over problems at the store, reading a list of grievances to management.
The list included a demand for a 20-hour minimum work week for employees who rely on access to healthcare.
"For individuals who work here who depend on the health benefits, that's a huge deal," Love said. "Treat us like humans ... help us be able to do our job effectively."
In a statement to WRAL News, Starbucks said the union has not identified a bargaining representative for the store.
The National Labor Relations Board claims the corporation discourages unionizing and has issued 128 complaints covering more than 400 unfair labor practice charges against Starbucks and its retail group, Siren Retail Corporation.
Despite the struggles, workers in Durham are calling for more local stores to unionize.
"Hopefully they see that we made it out unscathed and that we're in a better position now collectively, and I hope a lot of other stores start stepping up," Calzeretta said.
Starbucks' full statement is below:
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