Unionized Starbucks Baristas Are on Strike in Brookline, Massachusetts | Eater Boston

"Baristas at the Commonwealth Avenue store began an open-ended strike on July 18, staging a picket outside the store from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; the crew had voted to unionize the prior month by a reported 10–0 count with six ballots challenged. In a letter to management the employees allege a pattern of unfair labor practices and a chaotic, hostile work environment since the vote, naming an interim manager who they say has cut long-time employees’ hours, understaffed shifts while hiring new hires, and threatened discipline or termination over a new availability policy. Workers — including barista Sarah Chan and shift manager Nora Rossi — describe chronic understaffing that forces skipped breaks, hurts sales, cleanliness, and morale, and cite allegations that the interim manager has used harmful rhetoric about race, gender, and orientation. One employee, Taylor Dickerson, reports her hours were cut roughly in half after unionizing despite open availability and prior consistent scheduling. The group asks that the manager be removed or retrained, requests monthly labor reviews with staff, and say calls to the store and corporate press inquiries went unanswered; the dispute is presented as part of broader accusations of anti-union tactics by the company nationwide." - Rachel Leah Blumenthal