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Tag: Howard Schultz

  • Sen. Bernie Sanders Wants to Subpoena Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz

    Sen. Bernie Sanders Wants to Subpoena Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz

    Senator Bernie Sanders has some tough questions for Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and wants to subpoena him to get the answers.

    Starbucks has been under growing scrutiny for its anti-union efforts against Workers United. In the US, companies are strictly regulated regarding how they interact with unions and are prohibited from interfering with organizing efforts.

    Senator Sanders believes Starbucks has crossed that line and wants to question Schultz about, according to a tweet he sent Wednesday:

    Unfortunately, Howard Schultz has given us no choice, but to subpoena him. A multi-billion dollar corporation like Starbucks cannot continue to break federal labor law with impunity. The time has come to hold Starbucks and Mr. Schultz accountable.

    Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders), March 1, 2023

    Sanders cites the 75 complaints the National Labor Relations Board has brought against Starbucks:

    “While Howard Schultz is a multi-billionaire who runs a very profitable multi-national corporation, he must understand that he and his company are not above the law,” Sanders said. “The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has filed over 75 complaints against Starbuck for violating federal labor law and there have been over 500 unfair labor practice charges lodged against his company. These violations include the illegal firing of more than a dozen Starbucks workers. For nearly a year, I and many of my colleagues in the Senate have repeatedly asked Mr. Schultz to respect the constitutional right of workers at Starbucks to form a union and to stop violating federal labor laws. Mr. Schultz has failed to respond to those requests. He has denied meeting and document requests, skirted congressional oversight attempts, and refused to answer any of the serious questions we have asked. Unfortunately, Mr. Schultz has given us no choice, but to subpoena him. A multi-billion dollar corporation like Starbucks cannot continue to break federal labor law with impunity. The time has come to hold Starbucks and Mr. Schultz accountable.”

    Sanders plans on calling a vote next week of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) on whether to subpoena Schultz.

  • Minimum Wage Debate Strikes a Date

    Minimum Wage Debate Strikes a Date

    August 29 is the day you may want to pack a lunch.  Fast food workers are joining the social media stampede calling for a nationwide strike on August 29, four days before Labor Day.  Demands are for an hourly wage of $15 and, “the right to form a union without retaliation,” posts organizer Low Pay Is Not Ok.  The group also sponsors a petition on their site along with a robust Facebook and Twitter campaign.

    Employee walkouts over the last few months were spurred by these demands for a living wage—proposed to be $15 an hour—over the standard fast food salary based on the US minimum wage—$7.25 an hour.  This activity in turn, is cooking up a spectrum of responses across the political sphere.

    CEO’s are balancing on either side of the minimum wage solution. Along with select other CEO’s, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has landed in favor of minimum wage hikes, though not necessarily to $15/hour. Denny’s CEO John Miller explains an industry problem reporting higher salaries among employees when industry turnover rates are so high. “The benefit of this industry is we’re one of the largest employers of those who don’t have a good start otherwise,” Miller says during a Breakout interview last month.

    President Barack Obama has made increasing the minimum wage a long-standing administration goal that has failed to gain traction in Congress.

    A 9 August Bureau of Labor Statistics Study adds the cost of benefits into the combo meal. The study compares compensation costs across 33 countries, placing the United States 12th behind Sweden, Brazil, and Estonia in total compensation (wages and employer expenditures such as health insurance).

    The debate promises to remain as heated as fast food wars.