Starbucks Worker Correspondent
Advocating for yourself in the workplace is treated like a crime. Millions of working-class people slave away for pennies on the dollar in contrast to the billions corporations are bringing in every day.
If someone so much as utters a word in protest, they are immediately putting a target on their back for retaliation. This is the reality myself and hundreds, if not thousands, of Starbucks employees face every single day. But this isn’t just limited to us, but applies to every single worker in this country.
In December 2025, I worked with a select group of Starbucks baristas to organize my store in Kentucky. This was in light of many hazardous working conditions and terrible treatment from management. In the peak of summer, we were being forced to work with no air conditioning or assistance from upper management whatsoever.
During this time, we were still expected to operate as usual and were penalized for not achieving our already unreasonable 45-second out-the-window times. It took weeks for this issue to be resolved despite baristas suffering from heat exhaustion on the floor and constant complaints from customers. Several baristas grew physically ill due to these conditions but were forced to stay and work the rest of their shifts in fear of retaliation. One barista with epilepsy even had active micro-seizures on the clock. This is only a snapshot of the injustices baristas are facing every day.
After a successful vote to unionize, several baristas at my Starbucks location came under surveillance by management due to our involvement. I was personally the victim of constant harassment and reporting from anti-union baristas working with the upper management to try and push me to resign from my position. This was not only due to my involvement with my store, but my participation in organizing other stores across the region.
Every move I made was scrutinized, but I held true to my beliefs. I was recently wrongfully terminated from the company due to “theft of company property” for taking home expired food. This food was meant to be picked up by our delivery drivers and donated to those in need but instead sat in one of our back fridges. I had unfortunately found myself in a less-than-ideal financial situation which led me to using this expired food to supplement my groceries for the week. Unbeknownst to me, I was being monitored on the cameras which led to a conversation with my store manager on the matter. I was then prompted to write a statement for an investigation, and informed my manager of my living situation in which he seemed to show sympathy and even offered to bring me food.
A week later, I was sat down with my store and district manager and informed that I am being terminated. Prior to being involved in workplace organizing, I had positive feedback from management and never received any disciplinary action.
In my six years with this company, I have seen every barista who has worked here—including my store manager—take home and consume these expired food items with no repercussions. It is even common practice for the closing shift to take home whatever they want at the end of the day. This isn’t only limited to food, but to marked-out merchandise and beverage ingredients as well.
This treatment is entirely unfair and I am currently looking to take legal action to be reinstated to my position. Scenarios like this are playing out across the country because workers are simply fed up and demanding better working conditions. Corporations have taking advantage of workers for too long. I will continue to rally behind those who have been wronged to help inspire the change we all need.
We are looking for worker correspondents: cashiers, drivers, nurses, construction workers, cleaners, warehouse staff—anyone who wants to report on what’s really happening at work. Share a story, a tip, a victory, or a fightback. We’ll help you turn it into an article. Contact us at theworkerpaper@proton.me.
Image: A Starbucks store in San Francisco, CA, 2009. Credit: Håkan Dahlström.
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