‘We mean business’: Starbucks employees in Independence, Missouri, go on strike

About a dozen employees at an Starbucks in Independence went on strike Saturday, closing the store as they protested what they believe to be union-busting efforts.

The strike began at 8 a.m. at the Starbucks at 18710 East 39th Street. In May, employees at that location became the first Missouri store to vote in favor of forming a union. Other stores across the Kansas City area have since also held union elections.

The workers stood in front of the store holding signs, asking cars driving by to honk in support of their unionizing effort. Employees chose to go on strike Saturday in a symbolic effort for the Labor Day holiday weekend. The store will open Sunday.

“The goal is to show our managers that we mean business,” said CJ Miller, 19, a barista who has worked at the location for two years. “We stand with labor workers across the country.”

Miller said the workers went on strike because several felt that management had made efforts at union busting.

He said in July, employees who were also college students were told they could not stay employed while being in college. In the past, college students were allowed to maintain a “partner status,” allowing them to attend school then work during school or holiday breaks.

As a result, three employees who were in college left the location. One was fired, another resigned and a third went to work at a different location.

In a statement, a Starbucks spokesperson said they value the contributions of their partners.

“We respect our partners’ right to engage in any legally protected activity or protest without retaliation,” the statement said. “We remain committed to our partners and will continue to work together, side-by-side, to make Starbucks a company that works for everyone.”

Miller also said that they wanted to stand in solidarity with the employees at the Starbucks on the Country Club Plaza, which permanently closed the store Aug. 22.

Starbucks said they closed the store because of a safety issue. The location’s employees said it was about union-busting, not safety. Employees at that location said they were given a five-minute notice before the location shut down.

A union vote in June at the Country Club Plaza store was a tight election and the outcome had been pending because the vote was tied at nine each with three challenged ballots.

Miller believes Starbucks closed that location because of its unionizing efforts.