'Empty promises': Anderson Starbucks employees begin strike

Sarah Sheridan, Anderson Independent Mail
·2 min read
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The Starbucks Anderson location on Interstate 85 and Clemson Boulevard two days after employees participated in a strike, June 12, 2022.

Starbucks employees went on strike Saturday and Sunday at the Anderson location on Interstate 85 and Clemson Boulevard.

For subscribers: After weekend strike, Anderson Starbucks employees detail why the store needs change

Earlier this month, the Anderson location joined two other South Carolina Starbucks, from Greenville and Columbia, in voting for union representation.

Anderson's location was the first in the South to unanimously vote, 18-0, to unionize, according to a union Twitter account. The first in the state was in Greenville in mid-May, when workers at the store located at I-85 and Pelham Road voted to unionize.

More: Workers at a Greenville Starbucks store become first in South Carolina to unionize

The employees were on strike "due to unfair labor practices citing management threatening to discipline employees who wear union apparel and retaliation by slashing employee hours so employees cannot receive their benefits," said Aneil Tripathi in a press release. Tripathi is a spokesperson for the Anderson Starbucks Workers United.

The press release listed other concerns like poor management, outdated and broken equipment and improperly trained management.

"The extreme lack of accountability that our management refuses to take is very disheartening," another employee of the Anderson store Natalie Mann said in the release. "We have been out here on the frontlines, before, during and after the pandemic, and the empty promises that this company keeps making honestly makes me regret the time and energy that I have put into this company."

The employees were back to work Monday morning.

South Carolina is among the states with the lowest rate of union membership. In 2020, South Carolina had the lowest rate of union membership at 2.9%, according to data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

To form a union, the majority of the ballots cast must be in favor.

Employees set up a GoFundMe to raise money to replace lost wages and had raised over $3,000 Tuesday afternoon.

This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.

Sarah Sheridan is the community reporter in Anderson. She'd appreciate your help telling important stories; reach her at ssheridan@gannett.com or on twitter @saralinasher.

This article originally appeared on Anderson Independent Mail: Anderson Starbucks employees went on strike Sunday