Starbucks Union Workers Near Buffalo Walk Out Over Covid Concerns

Starbucks regional leaders met with union members on Tuesday night to discuss their safety concerns, which had mounted after an employee at the Elmwood store tested positive for the coronavirus. The company said all employees who had been in close contact with the infected person had been notified and given the option to quarantine themselves for five days with pay while monitoring for symptoms or awaiting Covid test results.

“We have met and exceeded all C.D.C. and expert guidelines for safety,” said Reggie Borges, a Starbucks spokesman, adding that the company was giving store and district managers leeway to adjust their operations in response to the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the virus. “All leaders are empowered to make whatever changes make sense for their neighborhood, which includes shortening store hours or moving to 100 percent takeout only, which is the case in Buffalo.”

Starbucks announced on Monday that it would reduce the number of days that vaccinated, asymptomatic workers who tested positive for the virus must isolate themselves to five days from 10, following a shift in guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The company also said this week that all of its U.S. workers had to be vaccinated by Feb. 9 or submit to weekly testing, in compliance with the Biden administration’s vaccine rule for large employers.

When the Starbucks workers in Elmwood voted to form their union last month, in an election recognized by the National Labor Relations Board, the result represented a challenge to the company’s long-running argument that its workers enjoy good wages and do not need a union.

“It was kind of crazy walking out of work,” Ms. Hilaire added. “It was a first for everyone.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/05/business/starbucks-union-walkout-covid.html