Billionaire Howard Schultz, who simply stepped down as Starbucks CEO, faces questions on Capitol Hill at the moment from Sen. Bernie Sanders and others about his response to the wave of unionizing at Starbucks.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Howard Schultz, who simply stepped down as interim CEO of Starbucks, heads to Capitol Hill at the moment.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and others are getting ready powerful questions for him over how he has dealt with his staff’ push to unionize.
MARTÍNEZ: NPR’s Andrea Hsu joins us now for a preview. Andrea, I take it at the moment’s listening to has nothing to do with Starbucks placing olive oil of their espresso – solely in Seattle, although, however nonetheless an ideal thought. So what is that this listening to about?
ANDREA HSU, BYLINE: Effectively, Schultz goes to be within the scorching seat. He is showing earlier than the Senate committee that oversees labor and employment points. And that committee is chaired by none apart from Bernie Sanders, who, after all, is one in every of labor’s greatest champions in Congress. And Sanders has been attempting to get Schultz earlier than the Senate for a very long time. He desires to press him on what Sanders calls Starbucks’ unlawful union busting marketing campaign. He says Schultz is the architect of that marketing campaign. And as we have reported, practically 300 Starbucks shops have really unionized. But it surely continues to be a reasonably large battle. Starbucks, , has fired staff who have been organizing and closed a few of the unionized shops. And as Sanders will level out, federal labor officers have discovered Starbucks violated labor legislation in various instances throughout the nation. So we’re anticipating Sanders to ask, , why do you retain breaking the legislation?
MARTÍNEZ: All proper. So then what would possibly Howard Schultz say to reply?
HSU: Effectively, he will deny that Starbucks is doing something illegal. The corporate has all the time stated that staff who have been fired have been fired for misconduct, not for organizing a union. And we will additionally count on Schultz to speak about how a lot Starbucks respects and values its staff. He’ll speak in regards to the aggressive wages and nice advantages Starbucks presents even part-time staff. And what’s form of ironic is that this is identical message that Howard Schultz delivered to Washington practically three many years in the past. He was on this White Home panel on company duty in 1996. And this is how then-President Clinton launched him.
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BILL CLINTON: Starbucks has been acknowledged for its reasonably in depth profit program for the workforce, together with the scope of its well being care plan. So I might like for Mr. Schultz to speak about that.
HOWARD SCHULTZ: Thanks very a lot, Mr. President.
HSU: So it is actually fascinating that Howard Schultz has gone from being Mr. Company Accountability to union buster in chief, despite the fact that his playbook is essentially the identical.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah, it exhibits how a lot instances have modified, too. So is something going to return out of this listening to?
HSU: Effectively, most likely nothing too concrete. However what Sanders and Democrats have been desirous to do with regards to unions is go one thing referred to as the PRO Act. It is a invoice that will do various issues. For one, it will introduce monetary penalties for firms who illegally intrude with labor organizing. Proper now, there are no penalties. And in reality, the AFL-CIO’s president, Liz Shuler, just lately identified, you get an even bigger tremendous for violating fishing legal guidelines in lots of states than you do for busting unions. However, , after all, with Congress divided the best way it’s, the PRO Act has gone nowhere. So Sanders is doing what he can do, which is principally public shaming.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. However, , I maintain listening to about union campaigns in locations like Tesla, Apple Retailer. I imply, so aren’t unions having a second proper now?
HSU: Effectively, sure and no. We’ve got seen a surge in labor organizing. And Gallup discovered public approval of unions is at a 60-year excessive. However the share of staff within the U.S. who’re members of unions is fairly small. It is really the bottom on document. And researchers who examine labor actions say we’re unlikely to see the numbers budge a lot till there’s some vital change to labor legislation that makes organizing much less of an uphill climb.
MARTÍNEZ: NPR’s Andrea Hsu, thanks rather a lot.
HSU: Thanks, A.
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