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Starbucks to begin bargaining with unionized workers By Joseph Panzer STAFF WRITER
Starbucks announced last month it will begin bargaining with workers at its unionized stores in addition to distributing raises and other benefits to employees. Starbucks’ Chief Partner Officer Sara Kelly said in a Feb. 27 press release that Starbucks is discussing “a fair process for organizing and the resolution of some outstanding litigation” with workers represented by Starbucks Workers United, the largest labor union for Starbucks employees. “There is a lot of work ahead, but this is an important, positive step. It is a clear demonstration of our intent to build a constructive relationship with Workers United
in the interest of our partners,” Kelly said in the release. Workers United called the decision “a clear demonstration of a shared commitment to working collaboratively and with mutual respect” toward baristas in a statement. State Street Starbucks shift supervisor Matthew Cartwright said he was optimistic yet hesitant that bargaining will accomplish fair treatment from Starbucks. “We’re very excited for it, we’re very hopeful, and we always have to maintain that we believe the company will do the right thing. We hope they will, regardless of their track record, which has not always proven that,” Cartwright told The Daily Cardinal. “It’s a cautious optimism.”
Allie Kerr, a barista who helped organize the State Street union, echoed Cartwright’s sentiments. “My first thought when I heard the news is how excited I am for our partners at the Cap Square store and many of the other stores who have had credit card tipping, wage increases and other benefits withheld from them since they organized,” Kerr told the Cardinal. “This gesture means a lot and indicates that Starbucks may be ready to truly come to the table.” Like Cartwright, Kerr said she is still “cautiously optimistic” about the news, given Starbucks has “definitely backtracked before” when bargaining with unions. Barista Mona Kemstra was more confident about the possibilities stemming from
this decision. “I am excited to see this next step starting after the long journey it took to get here,” Kemstra told the Cardinal. “I am hopeful this will finally be the conclusion thousands of partners across the country have been waiting for, and we will be able to negotiate a contract with Starbucks to better the conditions for partners nationally.” Starbucks has a reputation for union busting. According to Reuters, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed a complaint last December that forced the company to reopen 23 stores allegedly shut down to discourage unionization. Starbucks was unable to provide further information about talks with Workers United.
GOP ‘INVEST IN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’ Embattled official still sits on UW board
Gerard Randall still at Tommy Thompson Center despite recent controversy By Liam Beran
CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR
CAMERON SCHNEIDER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Vice President Kamala Harris announces new labor initiatives in Madison visit By Anna Kleiber & Marin Rosen ARTS EDITOR & CITY NEWS EDITOR
Vice President Kamala Harris visited Madison on Wednesday to amplify the Biden administration’s labor union initiatives and announce a new executive order expanding federal apprenticeship programs ahead of the 2024 election. Harris spoke at the construction site of the future Metro Transit Satellite Bus Facility on Madison’s east side. “This work that we see behind us is a function of that partnership around how we can get federal dollars out to local governments and local communities in a way that they, then, invest in the talent of the community,” Harris said. “It is also an example of the fact that when we invest in the American people, including the American worker, everyone benefits.” Harris, chair of the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, was joined by acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su and Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. “The work that is being done here is really important to build our economy here
in Madison,” Rhodes-Conway said. “This work would not be possible without the support of the president and the vice president.” Harris also announced a new executive order Wednesday that will help create more registered apprenticeship programs in the federal workforce, according to the White House. Registered apprenticeship programs are industry-led, career pathways where “employers can develop and prepare their future workforce,” according to Apprenticeship USA. Additionally, the executive order directs federal agencies to preference groups that hire individuals who participated in registered apprenticeship programs when awarding contracts or projects funded by federal grants. The order also reestablishes federal labor management forums, a tool used by union members and management to jointly address workplace concerns. Harris said Wednesday the apprenticeship work demonstrates the Biden administration’s commitment to rebuild American infrastructure and allows people to “receive an education that is for the
benefit of the community” without having to worry about borrowing money to do so. The U.S. Department of Labor appointed 30 members to serve on the Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship and assist the Secretary of Labor with the apprenticeship program, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Partner4Work CEO Robert Cherry was appointed to serve as the committee’s chairperson. “Strong apprenticeship models are a proven method to create a sustainable pipeline of skilled and talented workers in communities across America,” Cherry said in a statement. After the event, Harris made a stop at her childhood home on the west side of Madison, where she lived from age 3 to 5, according to White House officials. Harris last visited the state in January, when she spoke in Big Bend to kick off her nationwide “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour. She also visited southeastern Wisconsin in August 2023 to tout broadband expansion and domestic job creation efforts. Read the full story at dailycardinal.com
Gerard Randall, a top Wisconsin GOP official, continues to influence budgets and serve at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Tommy G. Thompson Center for Leadership despite a high-profile business scandal that prompted his resignation from the Republican National Convention. Alexander Tahk, Thompson Center director, told The Daily Cardinal that Randall is still a member of the conservative-leaning Thompson Center’s public leadership board. Randall faced widespread scrutiny after a Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Watch report in November found his nonprofit organization, the Milwaukee Education Partnership, provided vague, incomplete or redundant services on specialized no-bid contracts totalling $1.2 million since 2012. The organization, of which Randall is the director and sole employee, also falsified prominent board officers on tax returns. Randall was first vice chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin before becoming host secretary for the RNC. He is still listed as first vice chair on the party’s website. Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, a member of the state Legislature’s budgetwriting committee, told the Cardinal it’s disappointing Randall remains on the Thompson Center’s board despite his reputation as a “fraudster.” Roys said she doesn’t think Randall should be allowed to remain on the board. “You don’t want someone who is implicated in financial misdealings or fraud to be involved in budgeting for any business, whether it’s a public institution or a private entity,” Roys said.
+ Randall page 4