Catherwood LibraryILR School

Over 55 strikes in 17 states in recent months have occurred as Starbucks workers strike back against an increasingly anti-union atmosphere at work that has allegedly led to the terminations of employees most closely aligned with unionization efforts. Workers believe that at least 75 workers have been terminated this year due to their work in organizing unions at their stores. One prominent example this week was the termination of Sam Amato on August 5th; Amato had worked for Starbucks for 13 years and was part of the unionization effort that led to his store winning a union election in Buffalo, New York, in early 2022. Amato and his coworkers were transferred to other stores in June, and faced heavy scrutiny while on the job. Amato says there has been high turnover of store managers in the Buffalo area, and many firings and resignations that have led to chronic understaffing, resulting in the incident where Amato closed the lobby in favor of the drive-thru, which then led to his termination. Once Amato was terminated, his coworkers proceeded to strike, leading to an indefinite closing of the store.