MEATPACKING DISTRICT, NY — Nearly 50 days after Starbucks workers went on strike at a location in the Meatpacking District, workers voted to return Monday amid promises from management of better mold and bed bug-related conditions.
The workers at the NYC Reserve Roastery at 61 Ninth Ave. initially went on strike over “a genuine response to the fear of bed bugs as well as other health and safety concerns such as mold in the ice machine”.
Here’s what the workers said they won during the strike.
- The Department of Agriculture will inspect the ice machines for mold and has been instructed to maintain regular cleaning. A wall where mold was found will also be demolished and replaced.
- After three meetings with Starbucks attorneys and health and safety experts — as well as reviewing dozens of pest inspection reports from Starbucks attorneys — workers “have the impression” these inspections will continue Monday through Friday. In addition, there will be a dog-leg bed bug inspection because the pests were not found until Nov. 30, according to Starbucks employees.
- There will be new health and safety training for workers and managers.
- Starbucks employees have formed a health and safety committee.
“The work is not over yet. We must continue to hold management accountable, and when we get back inside, we will all do this together as partners,” NYC Roastery employees wrote in a release. “We are excited to return to work but recognize that our struggle as a unionized business is just beginning.”
NYC Reserve Roastery was the first New York Starbucks to unionize in early 2022.
Located in the Meatpacking District, the store is one of three roastery locations in the country. Roasteries are larger than regular Starbucks and serve a wider variety of dishes.
