PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A group of employees, and their allies, are protesting Tuesday morning outside a Southwest Portland Starbucks that is expected to close in June.
Union officials representing the employees say closing the location it is another attempt by the coffee giant to union bust.
The Starbucks located at Southwest 5th Avenue and Southwest Oak Street is one of 18 stores in Portland that voted to unionize during the last year. According to Democratic Socialists of America Labor, multiple union organizers have recently been fired from Portland area stores and pro-union workers have received fewer hours.
This location will be the third recent Portland Starbucks to close.
KOIN 6 reached out to Starbucks for a comment and they shared that the closure is due to ” ongoing business and operational issues”
In response to the strike, they shared the following statement:
We respect the rights of all partners to make their own decisions about union representation and to engage in lawful union activities without fear of reprisal or retaliation. Outcomes of a regular business review were made without regard to union status and are intended to advance the Starbucks experience we deliver for our partners and our customers in stores across our global footprint.
Our 5th and Oak store will close at the beginning of June. We have informed Workers United, as required, and are meeting with union representatives tomorrow to begin effects bargaining discussions outlining employment and transfer considerations for the seven partners currently employed at the store.
