Starbucks: Racism. Open letter to employees and customers.

by Sean O'Torrain. 

Starbucks is a huge corporation based on profit. Its profit is the unpaid labor of its workers. In the last quarter of 2014 its profits rose 82% to $983 million. If its workers were to get together and unite and fight for better wages and benefits and conditions and win better wages and benefits and conditions then these profits would fall. In spite of their talk it is not in the interests of the Starbucks bosses to have a united workforce. It would hurt their profits. A united workforce is a strong workforce. A strong united workforce can win better wages and benefits.  The first step against racism in Starbucks is to unite the Starbuck workers against racism. How is this to be done? The only way it can be done is to unite them in the fight for for better wages, benefits and conditions. This would be completely contrary to the interests of the profit addicted Starbuck corporation.They will sabotage their own campaign if it ever gets off the ground. The bosses must have been out on a wild night of drinking to ever have come up with it in the first place. 

We suggest that instead of writing "Race Together" on the coffee cups the following steps are taken. Starbucks workers write $20,00 an hour minimum wage and full benefits and better conditions for all Starbucks workers and customers on the coffee cups. At the same time organize workplace meetings to discuss the struggle for better wages and conditions. This would enormously help the struggle against racism. Remember 40% of the Starbucks workers are minorities. Such meetings would bring the very diverse workforce of Starbucks together. At the same time on the coffee cups which are handed out to customers write $20.00 minimum wage and full benefits and better conditions and suggest the holding of customer meetings to fight for these very reasonable demands. After all Starbucks coffee shops are used by bosses to discuss their activities all the time why should Starbucks customers not use the coffee shops to discuss their interests. This too would help the struggle against racism. If such a development were to take place Starbucks management and owners would fight it with everything they have. This would include the ever used tactic of the bosses of Divide and Rule. That is divide the workforce along race, gender lines. 

Therefore to win such a struggle such a struggle the workers of Starbucks would have to organize. The infrastructure for this already exists. That is the 12,000 stores in the USA and the 21,000 stores worldwide. Democratically elected delegates from these stores can be brought together nationally and internationally. At such events a democratic organization of Starbucks workers can be set up. That is a democratic union for all Starbucks workers. This is the way to fight racism and to get better wages, benefits and conditions.