Outrage as Starbucks fires union organiser in New York amid front-page story on effort
A Starbucks employee who assisted in organising the coffee giant’s first unionised store in the United States has reportedly been fired, as the company faces a nationwide union campaign, with over 100 locations in at least 26 states filing for union representation, including the company’s flagship Seattle location.
Cassie Fleischer, who assisted in a successful union drive at the company’s Elmwood Avenue location in Buffalo, New York, was “effectively terminated” from the company on 20 February after reducing her working hours to part-time, she announced in a Facebook post.
“Today, Cassie Fleischer was fired — the same day a story about her organising contributions appeared in the print Washington Post,” SBWorkersUnited tweeted.
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After a historic December 2021 vote, the location became the first of the company’s 9,000 corporate-owned locations to unionise. The shop was one of three in the Buffalo area that sought union representation, out of a total of 16 in New York state.
Her alleged termination comes on the heels of the company’s firing of seven employees at a store in Memphis, Tennessee, which is also unionising. The company stated that their termination was not related to the union drive, but rather to “significant violations” of the company’s safety and security policies, including giving a local media interview after the store closed.
Union organisers have accused the company of using union-busting tactics – such as anti-union text messages and so-called “captive audience” meetings – to thwart union efforts to improve working conditions and wages.
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