Starbucks Out of NYU
As students, staff, and faculty of New York University, we are deeply concerned with our campus’s relationship with Starbucks Corporation, which has engaged in an unrelenting union-busting campaign against its workers. Starbucks has committed “egregious and widespread” violations of federal labor law such as unlawfully firing workers, intimidation of union organizers, and unlawful discipline. A federal administrative law judge wrote that the company displayed “a general disregard for employees’ fundamental rights.” Moreover, Starbucks workers have won over 340 union elections across 42 states (including Washington DC) since December 2021. Starbucks responded by denying boosts in wages and benefits to unionized workers.
Our campus is a union campus, with faculty, graduate students, staff, and security officers represented by ACT-UAW Local 7902, GSOC-UAW Local 2110, UCATS Local 3882, Local One SOU, OPEIU Local 153 and actively forming unions such as CFU and NYURU. We believe in the fundamental right of workers to form a union, and we believe that companies who violate workers’ rights to organize and collectively bargain should face consequences. At NYU, we have seen the benefits of strong landmark union contracts for workers and believe that Starbucks workers deserve the same.
We call for the university’s administration to end their licensing agreement with Starbucks and invite an alternative coffee provider to replace Starbucks at the 45 West 4th Street location. In this transition process, we demand that no changes occur in the payment, staffing, benefits, or number of hours for the dining services employees working at the above-mentioned café. Additionally, we call for NYU to completely divest from Starbucks.
