The National Labor Relations Board has filed more than 80 complaints against Starbucks for violating federal labor law. Its workers have also filed over 500 unfair labor practice complaints, according to a Senate labor committee report released last month.
The $113 billion company, despite its purported progressive politics, has been accused of waging an “aggressive and illegal union-busting campaign,” against its own workers seeking to unionize. But what can consumers do to help those workers secure a seat at the table?
Your first instinct might be to boycott your local Starbucks. A well-organized boycott hits employers where it hurts — right in their pocketbook. In fact, Starbucks workers across the nation went on strike last November and called for consumers to boycott the chain on what is normally one of its busiest days — Red Cup Day.
However, unless workers themselves call for a boycott, consumer outcry can potentially do more harm than good.“Outright boycotting doesn’t necessarily help the workers because it ends up causing loss of sales, which turns to loss of hours and loss of income in certain cases,” David Young, United Food and Commercial Workers’ international vice president and organizing director, recently told URL Media partner Prism.
So what can you do to make your displeasure with the actions of a company known while also continuing to support its workers?
Young recommends consumers coordinate individual letter-writing campaigns, social media posts and emails that publicly call out the hypocrisy of companies that treat their employees poorly while espousing progressive beliefs.
“Progressive employers are oftentimes not so progressive, but they built that brand identity for the consumer,” he said. “So when you call it out and give examples, that hurts their image. Their image costs them money.”
The best part about Young’s advice is that it works across the board, whether the company sells a product or provides a service.
When workers at LaGuardia Airport said Swissport USA fired them after protesting poor working conditions, the union representing the workers organized a rally outside of the airport to bring even more awareness to the horrific working conditions.
Rallies are also a great way for those who want to support workers to get involved. Not only will standing in solidarity with workers make it clear to employers that consumers are watching, it gives the public the opportunity to hear directly from workers about the issues they’re facing and what they need consumers to do.
By listening to the needs of workers and following their recommendations, you can ensure your efforts are truly helping their cause.
Now, you might be thinking, what can consumers do when the company in question sells to other businesses and not consumers?
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), a farmworker collective based in Florida, found a unique way to address this challenge. Instead of focusing on consumers, the coalition targeted the purchasing power of grocery store retailers and fast food companies through the Fair Food Program (FFP) model.
“Under this model, companies like McDonald’s and Chipotle commit to paying a penny more for each pound of tomatoes purchased and only work with partnered growers that follow labor standards,” Annie Faye Cheng writes for Prism. “CIW also created partnerships with activist organizations such as Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida, Just Harvest USA, and the Student Farmworker Alliance, the latter of whom managed to get Taco Bell banned from fast-food-hungry college campuses until the company agreed to sign the F[F]P pledge.”
The most important thing to remember is that effective allyship is proactive. By using your privileged position as a consumer to amplify the issues of workers while publicly holding companies accountable for their actions, you have the opportunity to make things better for folks in your community.
