Mar. 22—Citing a lack of employees and feeling overworked — with a yet-to-begin bargaining process with their corporate bosses — workers at the Starbucks on Rio Grande near Interstate 40 on Wednesday joined baristas at more than 100 other Starbucks locations across the country in a strike.

"I think most of (us) would love for corporate to negotiate with us and give us a seat at the table," strike organizer and Starbucks employee Madz Dazzo, 23, told the Journal. "There are so many reasons that we're out here, but one of the big ones right now is how short-staffed we are. ... We don't have enough people to get drinks out in a timely manner, and it's causing a lot of stress for us and it's making wait times for customers really long."

The strike at the local Starbucks follows a vote in September to unionize workers at the store, the first and only location in New Mexico to do so. In August, workers from a Santa Fe Starbucks filed their own petition to unionize but withdrew it not long after due to "union-busting retaliation," said Naomi Martinez, a spokeswoman with Starbucks Workers United.

In an email to the Journal, a Starbucks Corp. spokesperson said they were aware of the nationwide strikes at union-represented stores but added that Workers United — the organization representing unionizing efforts at Starbucks stores across the country — has been unwilling to identify bargaining representatives and dates for multiple locations across the country.

"Rather than publicizing rallies and protests, we encourage Workers United to live up to their obligations by responding to our proposed sessions and meeting us in person to move the good-faith bargaining process forward," the spokesperson said.

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Workers at the Albuquerque Starbucks on Wednesday held signs and echoed chants as drivers passed by, some of whom honked. Two of the four people on strike were Starbucks workers, including Dazzo and Tiffany Martinez, 24.

Martinez, who's worked at Starbucks on Rio Grande since late last year, said she was at first uneasy about taking a job at a unionized Starbucks. She said she was given "misinformation" on what it means to unionize, but ultimately understood unionizing meant more protections for workers.

"A lot of the stuff that we're trying to negotiate is really to help us out just to not work ourselves to death," she said. "Starbucks does have a lot of great resources, but ultimately it's to protect the corporation and not the (employees)."

At least two others who are not Starbucks employees joined the strike Wednesday. That includes Marisa Sedillo, 21, who is with the local chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. She said she believes all workers, including those at Starbucks, deserve a living wage.

"I believe in the liberation of all workers," she said. "I know how demanding of a job (being a barista) is. It's truly a craft, and I just know Starbucks workers are super over-exploited. I know here they are severely understaffed. ... I think they deserve fair working conditions."

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