In February, Starbucks fired us for trying to unionize, but our work never stopped. Now, we are known as the Memphis 7. Starbucks’ illegal retaliation against us was meant to make an example of workers who dare to demand better working conditions. Instead, they helped strengthen our movement.
This August, a federal court granted a petition by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that required Starbucks to immediately reinstate us in our jobs after upending our lives for eight months. We didn’t ask for this — we just wanted better working conditions. And now, we don’t just want our jobs back, we want to make sure that other workers won’t face retaliation for trying to organize a union. The court reinstating us is only a start.
According to our research partners at the Center for Law and Social Policy, the number of employers charged with unfair labor practices rose 16 percent in 2022; one out of every five employers is charged with illegally firing workers during a union drive. Big corporations like Starbucks often consider federal fines simply part of the cost of doing business. But what about the cost to the workers and their communities?
