Staff at roughly 220 Starbucks stores across the US have voted to unionize, making unexpectedly successful inroads at the popular chain of coffee shops. But the movement is facing a precarious moment, as the economy slows and the company mounts a furious response.
Joselyn Chuquillanqui had worked for Starbucks for nearly seven years when the company fired her last month.
She had been waiting for the decision. Though she liked her job as a barista, which gave her flexibility to care for her young niece, this winter the 28-year-old had tried to rally her co-workers in New York to join a labour union, frustrated by the company’s stance on sick leave during the pandemic.
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