Cleaner Stores on the List of Reasons Starbucks in Hurst Is Unionizing | Eater Dallas

"Employees at the Hurst store were part of a June 4 NLRB petition filed by 18 cafes nationwide, joining over 10,500 baristas seeking union representation as company and union negotiators enter a second round of talks. Local organizers Illyana Morales and Christopher Baltimore say chronic understaffing and reduced hours have made it hard to survive on paychecks and to complete basic tasks—even taking out trash—because fewer partners are scheduled, which can create safety concerns when a single person would be left alone in the store. Reduced staffing has also made it difficult to restock supplies mid-shift, left the store visibly less clean and slowed service, and caused vacation time to accrue more slowly and left fewer people available to cover time off. Morales, who organized after a year of internal talks and years of requests for more resources, reports roughly ten coworkers are committed to unionizing and hopes their effort will encourage nearby stores to organize as well. The company responded that schedules are built from recorded partner availability and operational needs, and said it is working on additional scheduling improvements to give hourly partners more stability, flexibility and consistency." - Courtney E. Smith