Pittsburgh Starbucks Employees Work to Kick Out Union Goons From the Workplace
Jose Nino
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On July 13, 2023, workers at Pittsburgh’s Penn Center East Starbucks branch submitted a petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), calling on the federal agency to hold a vote at their workplace on whether to kick out the Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) union. Elizabeth Gulliford, the worker who submitted the petition, received free legal aid from staff attorneys at the National Right to Work Foundation. .
The union decertification petition counts on signatures from enough workers at the Penn Center East coffee shop to launch a vote as outlined by the NLRB’s rules. With the petition filed, the NLRB is expected to quickly schedule a secret ballot election to figure out if a majority of workers want to get rid of union bosses’ power to impose a contract, which includes forced dues, on the employees.
Due to how Pennsylvania is not a Right to Work state, SBWU union officials have the power to reach an agreement with Starbucks thereby compelling Gulliford and her work colleagues to pay union dues or fees as a condition of maintaining employment. By contrast, in Right to Work states, union membership and financial contributions are largely voluntary.
“As more Starbucks workers seek to kick SBWU from their stores, the agenda of these union officials is becoming clearer and clearer,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “SBWU union officials sought to extend their power over as many Starbucks workers as they could through controversial tactics, all in pursuit of greater dues revenue and scoring political points. Meanwhile, workers’ interests were ignored completely.”
“While we are happy that the Starbucks workers are able to take their first steps in exercising their rights oust an unwanted union, we call on SBWU union officials not to attempt to block or otherwise interfere with the rank-and-file workers’ right to hold this vote,” Mix said in a concluding remark. “Union bosses should not be allowed to keep their grip on power simply by disenfranchising those they claim to ‘represent.’”
The Left is relentless when it comes to how it spreads its influence. From school boards to the workplace, one always expects the Left to find ways to infiltrate these institutions. For that reason, the Right must be prepared to respond in kind by purging these entities of leftist influence through formal and informal mechanisms.
Politics is ultimately shaped by those who act. If we want an America free of forced unionism, Right to Work laws need to become the national standard.
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