2021-12-14 10:22:19

“Our Movement Is Growing”: How Starbucks Workers in Buffalo Fought Company’s Union Busting and Won

We look at the historic workers’ victory at the Elmwood Starbucks store in Buffalo, New York, where workers successfully voted to unionize last week, making them the first to do so among the coffee chain’s 9,000 locations in the United States, and sparking new efforts at stores across the country.

We speak to one of the 19 employees who voted in favor of forming a union about confronting the company and overcoming the challenges. Starbucks “hired the most notorious union-busting law firm in the country and literally ran not even a textbook anti-union campaign but almost an unprecedented union campaign,” says Jaz Brisack, a barista at the Starbucks located in Buffalo.

Democracy Now! produces a daily, global, independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Our reporting includes breaking daily news headlines and in-depth interviews with people on the front lines of the world’s most pressing issues. 

On DN!, you’ll hear a diversity of voices speaking for themselves, providing a unique and sometimes provocative perspective on global events.

Missed an episode?  Check out DN on FSTV VOD anytime or visit the show page for the latest clips.

#FreeSpeechTV is one of the last standing national, independent news networks committed to advancing progressive social change. 

#FSTV is available on Dish, DirectTV, AppleTV, Roku, Sling, and online at freespeech.org.

Amy Goodman Buffalo Democracy Now! Elmwood Starbucks Free Speech TV New York Starbucks Union Union Busting United States Workers' Rights

Economy

FSTV Speaks

Social Security Is Under Attack – Fight Back! | FSTV Speaks

Social Security Is Under Attack – Fight Back! | FSTV Speaks

The Rick Smith Show

The Rick Smith Show | An All-Out Assault on Organized Labor

The Rick Smith Show | An All-Out Assault on Organized Labor

The Randi Rhodes' Show

The Randi Rhodes Show | Businesses are Losing Their Minds

The Randi Rhodes Show | Businesses are Losing Their Minds

The Rick Smith Show

The Rick Smith Show | The Leopards Continue Eating Faces

The Rick Smith Show | The Leopards Continue Eating Faces

FSTV Speaks

The Fight for Civil Rights Isn’t Over | FSTV SPEAKS

The Fight for Civil Rights Isn’t Over | FSTV SPEAKS

KICK OUT THE CLOWNS - Watch on VOD Soon!

KICK OUT THE CLOWNS - Watch on VOD Soon!

How The Pink Tax Affects You! | Generation Girl Code

How The Pink Tax Affects You! | Generation Girl Code

Don’t Shop There: Hit Back Where It Hurts—Their Profits

Don’t Shop There: Hit Back Where It Hurts—Their Profits

Democracy Now!

Texas Flood Tragedy: 82 Dead, More Missing | Democracy Now!

Texas Flood Tragedy: 82 Dead, More Missing | Democracy Now!

Eye-Opening Truths About Cuba | What People Say About Belly of the Beast on FSTV

Eye-Opening Truths About Cuba | What People Say About Belly of the Beast on FSTV

This Week In White Supremacy- Presented by 1HoodMedia

No Kings Just Clowns | This Week In White Supremacy

No Kings Just Clowns | This Week In White Supremacy

KICK OUT THE CLOWNS - Watch on VOD Soon!

KICK OUT THE CLOWNS - Watch on VOD Soon!

Related

FSTV Speaks

Join the Movement, Grow the Resistance | FSTV Speaks

Join the Movement, Grow the Resistance | FSTV Speaks

Democracy Now!

Texas Flood Tragedy: 82 Dead, More Missing | Democracy Now!

Texas Flood Tragedy: 82 Dead, More Missing | Democracy Now!

Eye-Opening Truths About Cuba | What People Say About Belly of the Beast on FSTV

Eye-Opening Truths About Cuba | What People Say About Belly of the Beast on FSTV

This Week In White Supremacy- Presented by 1HoodMedia

No Kings Just Clowns | This Week In White Supremacy

No Kings Just Clowns | This Week In White Supremacy

Proud Partners