Starbucks Workers File OSHA Complaint Over Rats and Insects at Stores

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.iww.org/en/node/2794

Starbucks Workers File OSHA Complaint Over Rats and Insects at Stores

44 New York City Starbucks Received a Notice of Violation from Department of Health Over Rat or Insect Presence

New York, NY- Fed up with Starbucks’ failure to deal with rat and insect problems, baristas of the IWW Starbucks Workers Union (www.starbucksunion.org ) filed a complaint with OSHA today to address the vermin at three Manhattan Starbucks. The workers are seeking improvements in store sanitation, food storage, and other vermin avoidance measures rather than relying solely on periodic and ineffective exterminator visits. The union is also releasing the "Creepy Crawly Starbucks 44 "- a list of the 44 New York City Starbucks that were issued a Notice of Violation in their last inspection from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene over rodent, cockroach, or flying insect presence.

"We’ve had it with the rats and roaches, " said IWW member and Starbucks barista, Tomer Malchi. "As union members we don’t play around with health and safety. No one should have to work in these conditions. "

The OSHA complaint seeks remedial measures at the Starbucks locations at Union Square East, 9th St. and 2nd Ave, and 57th St. and Lexington Ave. The IWW is willing to sit down with company officials to work out a comprehensive solution to the rat and insect problem.

"Approximately 1 out of 5 New York City Starbucks have been cited by the health department for mice or insect violations," said Daniel Gross, an IWW organizer and former Starbucks barista. "For workers and consumers alike, those are bad odds."

Founded in 2004, the IWW Starbucks Workers Union is an organization of baristas united to improve wages and working conditions at the world’s largest coffee chain.
Read More. . .

printer friendly page

File under: General Distribution Workers Industrial Union 660 | NYC GMB | Starbucks

[MADem]

1. Would you like ratshit with that five buck cuppa joe??

Hell, I make mine at home. Way cheaper, no ratshit.

[Kukesa]

14. A "cuppa joe" is $1.85 at Starbucks and

don't forget that they give all their political donations to Dems; nothing to Repugs.

Link here:

http://www.buyblue.org/node/1898/view/summary

[MADem]

15. You still won't get me in there

I'd rather make mine at home and give the buck eighty five directly to the Dems myself...

[NMDemDist2]

2. Starbucks--the Walmart of Gourmet Coffee n/t

[oasis]

3. Union yes!

[KansDem]

4. A little off topic, but this report reminded me of an old joke...

customer: Waiter! This coffee tastes like mud!
waiter: Well, it should, sir. It was ground this morning...

[marmar]

5. I'm with the employees, but it is New York...

vermin are kinda hard to avoid even in the cleanest of places.

[BlueJazz]

6. One more Coffee joke...

A lady came into the kitchen, sat down at the table, leaned forward, put her head in her hands and said to her husband "Honey, I feel terrible! My head hurts, my back's killing me and my left breast just burns and burns." He said "I'm gonna help you, Dear. I'll get you some aspirins for the headache, I'll rub your back with Myoflex for the backache, and if you'll sit up and get your Tit out of the coffee, it'll stop burning."

[AtomicKitten]

7. so that explains the "special" flavor of their coffee

ugh.

[xultar]

8. Mine had a special crunch too.

[AtomicKitten]

9. mmmmm

coffee you can use a fork with

[skids]

10. The first time I saw an NYC rat...

...I thought it was a dog.

[sleipnir]

11. Shitty coffee, shitty prices, and now they have rats, go figure.

n/t

[Joe Bacon]

12. I prefer Ice Blended from The Coffee Bean stores

Their coffee is drinkable, unlike Starblucks!

http://www.coffeebean.com/

[Greyhound]

19. 100% Repuke donations and (surprise, surprise) they treat their

employees like shit. 40% less pay, try to make them work off the clock, the usual re crap.
$tarbuck$ is far from perfect but the Bean & Leaf is much worse.

[BlueIris]

13. This is why I haven't bought anything in Starbucks since '03.

Early '03. And I don't know when I cashed out my stock, but it was a while before that.

[earth mom]

16. I am totally grossed out! I live on the west coast and no more

Starbucks for me!

[ananda]

17. Now that I'm retired and..

.. on reduced income, I don't buy at Starbucks any more.

Good thing, I guess.

[klook]

18. Are the rats venti or grande? (n/t)

[girl gone mad]

20. Rats and roaches in NYC?

You don't say!