Aug 15, 2022
'Starbucks fired me for being three minutes late'
Joselyn Chuquillanqui had worked for Starbucks for nearly seven years when the company fired her last month. Union organisers say Joselyn's clash was part of a national crackdown in which more than 75 union activists have been fired and some stores closed as the company, which has touted itself as a progressive workplace, tries to stop the labour movement troubling its ranks. The company has also announced more than $1bn in investment in higher wages, additional training and other improvements, lifting the firm's minimum wage in the US to $15 an hour and the average to about $17.When pay increases came into effect on 1 August, the company pointedly did not extend the raises to staff at unionised stores, saying a change in benefits has to be negotiated as part of a bigger contract. Campaigners in the US maintain that the recent improvements Starbucks has announced are a result of their efforts, which include some 60 worker strikes across the US.Their cause has been bolstered by an unusually tight labour market, which is credited with empowering workers to speak out at companies across the US, including Apple and Amazon. Activists have accused Starbucks of violating labour law, filing dozens of charges against the company with the National Labor Relations Board, the government's labour rights watchdog.
Related companies
Make a complaint about Starbucks by viewing their customer service contacts.
