Tausi Insider

A Starbucks location in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Nov. 7. Gene J. Puskar/The Associated Press Starbucks SBUX-Q workers at more than 100 U.S. stores are on strike Thursday in their largest labour action since a campaign to unionize the company’s stores began late last year. The walkouts coincide with Starbucks’ annual Red Cup Day, when the company gives free reusable cups to customers who order a holiday drink. Workers say it’s often one of the busiest days of the year. Starbucks declined to say how many red cups it plans to distribute. Workers say they’re seeking better pay, more consistent schedules and higher staffing levels in busy stores. Stores in 25 states planned to take part in the labour action, according to Starbucks Workers United, the group organizing the effort. Strikers are handing out their own red cups with union logos. Starbucks, which opposes the unionization effort, said it is aware of the walkouts and respects its employees’ right to lawfully protest. The Seattle compan...

Former Amazon.com Inc. AMZN-Q workers and labour organizers visited some of the e-commerce giant’s Quebec locations Friday as part of a global movement urging the company to stop “squeezing” workers, communities and the planet. Mostafa Henaway, a former Amazon worker and labour activist with the Immigrant Workers Center, said he and others would approach workers at the YUL2 and DXT6 facilities in Lachine to remind them of their rights and encourage their employer to do better. “We’re out here today with other Amazon associates around the world to say enough is enough,” said Henaway, who worked at the DTX4 delivery centre in Laval, Que. “At what cost is fast and free shipping?” The visit timed to Black Friday – one of the Seattle-based firm’s busiest periods – is meant to push the company to pay fair wages, taxes and better account for its affect on the environment. It’s part of the Make Amazon Pay movement, which will see Amazon workers and labour rights groups in at least 30 countri...

Starbucks SBUX-Q workers around the U.S. are planning a three-day strike starting Friday as part of their effort to unionize the coffee chain’s stores. More than 1,000 baristas at 100 stores are planning to walk out, according to Starbucks Workers United, the labor group organizing the effort. The strike will be the longest in the year-old unionization campaign. The union says it expects the strike will shutter some stores entirely; at others, managers or other workers may keep the stores open. A message seeking comment was left with Starbucks Friday morning. This is the second major strike in a month by Starbucks’ U.S. workers. On Nov. 17, workers at 110 Starbucks stores held a one-day walkout. That effort coincided with Starbucks’ annual Red Cup Day, when the company gives reusable cups to customers who order a holiday drink. More than 264 of Starbucks’ 9,000 company-run U.S. stores have voted to unionize since late last year. Starbucks opposes the unionization effort, saying the c...

Starbucks SBUX-Q workers around the U.S. are planning a three-day strike starting Friday as part of their effort to unionize the coffee chain’s stores. More than 1,000 baristas at 100 stores are planning to walk out, according to Starbucks Workers United, the labor group organizing the effort. The strike will be the longest in the year-old unionization campaign. The union says it expects the strike will shutter some stores entirely; at others, managers or other workers may keep the stores open. A message seeking comment was left with Starbucks Friday morning. This is the second major strike in a month by Starbucks’ U.S. workers. On Nov. 17, workers at 110 Starbucks stores held a one-day walkout. That effort coincided with Starbucks’ annual Red Cup Day, when the company gives reusable cups to customers who order a holiday drink. More than 264 of Starbucks’ 9,000 company-run U.S. stores have voted to unionize since late last year. Starbucks opposes the unionization effort, saying the c...