The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/union/)
Students and Starbucks employees alike participated in a takeover of Day Hall on Thursday. The occupation was in order to force Starbucks off campus in the wake of the announced closures of the two remaining Ithaca locations.
The yawning gap between the industrial democracy of ILR’s embryonic years and today’s landscape of corporate tyranny reflects a systematic crusade against organized labor. Politicians and private-sector actors have worked together to expand poverty and stifle democracy — all the while siphoning egregious sums of wealth to the already-egregiously wealthy. High-profile strikes made 2022 an exciting year for labor, but the share of workers in a union was the lowest on record, a fact that should profoundly disturb anyone who cares about poverty, inequality or justice.
Bangs Ambulance employees to unionize following a 22-20 vote, causing debate and confusion over union information as the company moves toward impending unionization, slated for certification on Nov 19.
On a drizzly Labor Day morning, students, community leaders and Ithaca residents gathered on College Avenue for a rally hosted by Starbucks Workers United in support of the Ithaca Starbucks’ efforts to unionize.
In April 2022, Ithaca became the first city in the United States to unionize all Starbucks locations. The movement was sparked in August 2021 by actions in nearby Buffalo, New York where workers voted to unionize the first Starbucks in the country.
Ithaca workers were motivated to unionize in October 2021, but in June 2022, management closed the Collegetown location, claiming that it made little sense to continue operating with ongoing issues regarding the condition of the store. The workers claim this was in retaliation for their unionization. Taking place in front of the now-closed Collegetown Starbucks, the crowd included members of SBWU, members of the Ithaca Democratic Socialists of America and the Ithaca Tenants Union. The rally featured speeches from Ithaca Starbucks workers and community leaders and was followed by a parade from College Avenue to Ithaca Commons.
In his speech, Evan Sunshine ’24, a former Collegetown Starbucks employee and SBWU organizer, noted that the College Avenue workers took action in October 2021 when their manager was forced to quit due to poor working conditions involving upper management.
Sunshine and his coworkers learned of Stephanie Heslop, a worker at the Starbucks on Ithaca Commons, and became aware of her efforts to unionize the store.
Cornell’s United Auto Workers Union, which represents employees in areas such as dining and building care, has once again voted no on a temporary agreement, citing insufficient measures to deal with pay and workload concerns.
Students rallied outside a United Auto Workers union vote on Monday, standing with Cornell employee union members who are advocating for livable wages amid staffing shortages in their new contract with the University.
On April 8, Ithaca became the first city in the United States to unionize all Starbucks locations: Meadow Street, the Commons and College Avenue. The Sun spoke to experts about how we got here and what this means nationally.
Following months of effort by organizers, Ithaca becomes the first city in the United States where all Starbucks locations are unionized, but employees still express concerns over working conditions.
Following the history-making unionization of an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, Cornell ILR students and professors offer their opinions on the event and what it means for the labor movement.
The Starbucks locations around Ithaca are unionizing to demand safer work environment in the midst of the pandemic and better wages. The movement is growing in size as workers come together to form solidarity.