Starbucks Workers United: Bend but Don’t Break Federal Labor Law

Starbucks Workers United – After fighting hard for over two years, Starbucks Workers United made Starbucks agree to let them form a union under the National Labor Relations Act. This was almost impossible to do in recent times. The reason they could do this is because Starbucks owns and runs all its coffee shops directly. So the union could focus on just one big company. Even then, the Starbucks workers had to use clever tactics outside of the normal labor board rules to force Starbucks to listen to them.

The Pre-NLRA Model: Sectoral Bargaining

Since fast-food workers could not bargain with the big companies, the Fight for $15 group in California went back to an old way of doing things from before the labor laws existed. Back then, unions would get all the employers in one industry in a region to follow one big contract that covered everyone.

The California Fast Food Council – Starbucks Workers United

This old way was helped by a law in 1933 that said unions and employers could make legally binding rules for whole industries that applied to every company. Unions like the mine workers and clothing workers were able to raise wages by putting their contracts into these industry-wide rules.

Following this old model, the new California Fast Food Council will force fast-food companies and franchise owners to finally negotiate with their workers. A new union called the California Fast Food Workers Union will be part of this council that gets to decide on wages, work conditions and training for the whole industry.

Advantages and Limitations

This council system is not as powerful as a normal union, because workers don’t have to pay dues and the council can’t make rules on everything a union can. But it’s better than having no way at all to negotiate pay across the whole industry. Congress needs to update the old labor laws so it’s easier for franchise workers to form regular unions.

A Promising Experiment

The California experiment shows there are still ways for workers to join together, even if the outdated labor laws block them from forming regular unions. This fast-food council could eventually turn into a normal union if the laws get fixed. For now, it offers a path for workers stuck outside the protections they were promised long ago.