LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Baristas working at Sunergos Coffee and a handful of Louisville-area Starbucks stores went on strike Monday in a call for contract agreements on better working conditions, the Service Employees International Union announced.
What You Need To Know
- Baristas at several Kentucky Starbucks and Sunergos Coffee locations went on strike Monday
- Workers at both companies have alleged unfair labor practices, accusing leadership of stifling their freedom to unionize
- Baristas at seven Starbucks stores in greater Louisville and southern Indiana have voted to form unions since May 2022. Workers at Sunergos' five Louisville locations voted to organize in January 2023
- It comes as a massive work stoppage at UPS looms, after negotiations for a new contract with its Teamsters union fell through
Workers at both companies have alleged unfair labor practices, accusing leadership of stifling their freedom to unionize and collectively bargain for contracts.
“We are not making any coffee today to send Sunergos a message. It’s time to stop stalling. It’s time to sit down with us to reach an agreement that respects our work and invests in the baristas who make Sunergos’ growth and success possible,” said Bekah Ryherd, a Sunergos Coffee barista and member of the union negotiating committee.
Clove Harrington has been a barista for two years at Sunergos on Preston Street.
By 11 a.m. Harrington and their fellow baristas had visited three of five Sunergos locations including the one on Norris Place.
Harrington says their demands include higher wages and benefits.
Harrington said, “Sunergos our starting pay is $8.25 an hour and we are trying to raise that base wage and make a living wage in the same way Heine Brothers was. Also just similar demands in asking for more respect at work.”
In addition Harrington adds their coworkers are striving for health benefits and paid time off.
Earlier this year Sunergos employees voted in favor of joining the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
In a news release on Monday, the SEIU said both Sunergos and Starbucks have failed to negotiate with their baristas despite months of attempts by workers to make progress on a contract.
Alexis Hardesty is the organizing and political director for the SEIU in Louisville.
“In the last session the company let us know that we actually won’t have agreed on anything until we agree on everything which makes for a really challenging negotiation,” Hardesty explained.
Baristas at seven Starbucks stores in greater Louisville and southern Indiana have voted to form unions since May 2022. Workers at Sunergos’ five Louisville locations voted to organize in Jan. 2023.
Employees are picketing for a single day in hopes it encourage a resolution.
National Labor Relations Board judges have found that Starbucks committed more than 200 federal labor law violations, including 23 unlawful discharges.
“The changes we want Starbucks to make are reasonable. We want respect for the work we put in. We want to build a true partnership between baristas and management. We want better jobs that give us a fair return on the hours and effort we put into making Starbucks an incredibly profitable corporation,” said Sean Sluder, a Starbucks barista at an Elizabethtown store.
Baristas at 340 Starbucks stores have voted to join Starbucks Workers United since Dec. 2021, totaling over 8,000 workers.
Spectrum News 1 has reached out to Sunergos for a response.
Correction: A previous version of this story used the incorrect pronouns for Clove Harrington. This version has been corrected to reflect their preferred pronouns. (July 17,203)