Local union members show solidarity for Bridgeton Starbucks workers seeking unionization

By SHERI GASSAWAY
Correspondent

Bridgeton, MO – About 35 local union members and Labor allies gathered for coffee and conversation at the Bridgeton Starbucks April 7 to show their support and solidarity with the store’s workers, who recently filed for a union election.

The group began filing in the store at about the same time the St. Louis Cardinals took to the field for their opening day game at Busch Stadium. A half hour later, the store was filled with supporters.

‘SUPER-PLEASED’
“I’m super-pleased with today’s turnout,” said Maddie Hagan, a barista and one of the store’s organizers. “I’m glad to have their support, and I’m stoked about joining the Labor Movement.”

Employees at 10 U.S. Starbucks locations have voted in recent months to join Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union. The Bridgeton Starbucks is one of five St. Louis-area stores to call for a union election in the last few weeks.

St. Louis Labor activist Kevin Fitzgerald, a Heat & Frost Insulators Local 1 retiree, organized the event in less than 24 hours by sharing an invite on Facebook. He was expecting only four or five people.

‘A BEAUTIFUL THING’
“It was a beautiful thing,” Fitzgerald said. “Our mission was simple: show up, purchase drinks and interact with workers by expressing our gratitude for being Organized Labor members and thanking them for their courageous pursuit to join us.”

The event drew support from apprentices, journeymen, business reps, organizers and retirees of several different unions, including Insulators Local 1, Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562, Teamsters Local 688, Glaziers Local 513, SEIU Local 1, Plasterers Local 3, UAW Local 2250, IBEW Local 1 and CWA Local 6300.

Megan Evergreen, a first-year apprentice at Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562, stopped by the event in overalls and work boots after her shift ended before heading off to apprenticeship school for the evening.

‘WISH THEM THE BEST’
“I was a barista at Starbucks drive-through location for about a year and a half,” Evergreen said. “I felt we were deliberately understaffed and the work was at a pace that burned people out. Starbucks staff members deserve a higher wage and more of a say in their working conditions. I really wish them the best in their organizing efforts.”

Another hit at the event came from a woman-owned, union print shop in South St. Louis called ButtonMakers, which has been in business since 2001. Owner Rebecca Bolte brought personalized gifts for the store’s supporters – buttons that read, “Would drive to Bridgeton for union coffee.”

At the end of the event, Starbucks workers explained what they were hoping to accomplish, thanked the group for its support and asked if anyone had any questions. Steve Erdelen, founder of the Facebook group Pro-Union St. Louis, asked, “What can we do for you going forward?”

‘SHOWED WHO WE ARE’
“That one question showed who we all are, why we were there and why we’re a community,” Fitzgerald said.