Starbucks fired worker answerable for Employees United union marketing campaign

Starbucks fired Alexis Rizzo, the worker answerable for igniting the Starbucks Employees United union marketing campaign, simply days after the corporate’s former CEO Howard Schultz testified on Capitol Hill in regards to the espresso chain’s alleged union-busting, CNBC confirmed.

Rizzo labored as a shift supervisor at Starbucks for 7 years and served as a union chief on the Genesee St. retailer in Buffalo, New York, which was one of many first two shops within the nation to win its union marketing campaign.

Starbucks Employees United introduced Rizzo’s termination in a tweet Saturday and mentioned in a corresponding GoFundMe web page that “that is retaliation at its worst.”

“I am completely heartbroken. It wasn’t only a job for me. It was like my household,” Rizzo instructed CNBC in an interview. “It was like dropping every part. I have been there since I used to be 17 years previous. It is like my whole assist system, and I feel that they knew that.”

Rizzo mentioned her retailer managers fired her after she completed working her shift Friday. She mentioned they instructed her it was as a result of she had been late on 4 events — two of which had been situations the place she had been one minute late. Rizzo suspects she was let go because of Wednesday’s Senate listening to, she mentioned.

Schultz confronted a volley of robust questions from Sen. Bernie Sanders Wednesday about Starbucks’ labor and union practices. Sanders, a pro-union impartial representing Vermont, has been placing stress on Starbucks for greater than a yr to acknowledge the union and negotiate contracts with unionized cafes.

Sanders chairs the Senate’s Well being, Schooling, Labor and Pensions Committee, which performed the panel.

Through the listening to, Sanders mentioned that Starbucks has engaged within the “most aggressive and unlawful union-busting marketing campaign within the trendy historical past of our nation.” He additionally accused the corporate of stalling on collective bargaining agreements, betting that employees will surrender and depart the espresso chain.

Schultz defended Starbucks’ method to its negotiations, sustaining {that a} direct relationship with employees is what’s finest for the corporate. He additionally denied a number of occasions that the corporate ever broke federal labor regulation and mentioned his focus throughout his time as interim CEO was 99% on operations, not battling the union.

“I do not assume it is a coincidence that two days after Howard Schultz had his ego bruised the best way that he did that he began lashing out at Buffalo,” Rizzo mentioned. She added that two different workers had been additionally fired Friday.

Starbucks spokesperson Rachel Wall mentioned separations on the firm solely comply with clear violations of insurance policies. On this case, she mentioned there have been quite a few attendance violations that had been impacting different baristas at this retailer location.

“We admire that our Genesee St. companions supplied the Starbucks Expertise to one another and our prospects this morning, and that space shops proceed to serve prospects with out interruption this weekend,” she instructed CNBC in a press release.

Practically 300 Starbucks cafes have voted to unionize beneath Starbucks Employees United, based on knowledge from the Nationwide Labor Relations Board. In whole, the union has made greater than 500 complaints of unfair labor practices associated to Starbucks with the federal labor board. Starbucks has filed roughly 100 of its personal complaints in opposition to the union. Judges have discovered that the corporate has damaged federal labor regulation 130 occasions.

Not one of the unionized shops have agreed on a contract but with Starbucks.

Rizzo mentioned she remains to be “in shock” about being fired, however that she plans to combat for her place.

“We’ll hold preventing to make issues proper,” she mentioned. “I’ll combat for my job again and to get reinstated.”

— CNBC’s Amelia Lucas contributed to this report.