Directions
Please answer all the questions for the two case studies below. Answers should be thorough and complete for each question. Please write your responses in a word document for submission and use the APA format as a guideline. Double space and use a 12 point font. The combined responses should be at least 200 words in length. Use the following information to support you in completing this assignment correctly.
All questions answered and addressed
Answers indicate that symptoms were recognized
Actual causes of the problem were uncovered
Answers indicate that you identified major goals of the organizations, units, and/or individuals in the case
Answers indicate that longer-term performance problems and those requiring immediate attention have been recognized and considered
Identified appropriate alternative actions
Case Study 2
Time for a Union at Starbucks?
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was founded in 1905 for the purpose of representing unskilled workers who had low wages and who felt oppressed in their jobs. By the 1920s, the IWW had 100,000 members. The membership is currently around 2,000 members.
Starbucks was founded in 1971 in Seattle, Washington. The company has more than 21,000 coffee shops throughout the United States and 63 other countries. Most Starbucks locations are company owned, but a significant number are operated through licensees and franchises.
In 2007, the IWW targeted a Starbucks store in Rockville, Maryland, as a place to gain a union foothold. A number of coffee servers, or baristas, served the assistant manager with a declaration requesting union membership. They also provided the assistant manager a letter listing a number of grievances, including an allegation that the baristas did not earn a “living wage” and grievances related to their work schedules. They also complained that baristas who were possibly involved in union organizing efforts had been fired.
At the time, none of the 8,000 Starbucks locations in the United States were unionized, even though the IWW had been trying to organize a union at Starbucks since 2004. According to Starbucks, the union-organizing effort had not been successful because most baristas were satisfied with the company. The company said it believes in the importance of having a good working relationship with its employees and addresses their concerns as they occur.
Questions
Describe the steps that employees at the Starbucks in Rockville, Maryland, should have taken for the IWW to be officially recognized as the bargaining unit for employees there.
If employees believe they have been fired for trying to unionize, what recourse do they have?
What can Starbucks legally do to keep employees from unionizing?
What would you do if you were a Starbucks manager and some of your employees approached you with a list of grievances and indicated that they wanted to unionize?