"Congratulations, it's unpaid"
Two baristas and moms from Ohio and Gig Harbor will lead group delivering 80,000+ petition signatures to Starbucks corporate headquarters calling for an equitable parental leave policy
Who: Kristen, a Starbucks barista from Ohio who didn’t get a single day of paid parental leave when she had a child last year; Jessica, a Starbucks barista from Gig Harbor who’s pregnant with a new child and has a co-worker who just returned early from unpaid parental leave for financial reasons; and community supporters from Working Washington and PL+US.
What: Deliver more than 80,000 petition signatures to Starbucks headquarters, then meet with the Starbucks VP of Global Benefits to discuss paid parental leave.
When: TUESDAY — 11am, Tuesday, March 21, 2017, one day before the company’s annual shareholder meeting
Where: Starbucks Corporate Headquarters, 2401 Utah Avenue South, Seattle, WA
More information
The new Starbucks parental leave policy is a step forward, but there’s a reason it has been so controversial: it specifies different amounts of leave for different types of parents. Store employees would get dramatically less parental leave than corporate employees. And baristas who aren’t birth mothers wouldn’t get any paid time off at all.
Kristen, Jessica, and other baristas have shared stories on our website about the impact of parental leave policies, including:
- Adam, a long-time Starbucks worker in Seattle: “When my son Isaac was born, it was not a tough decision for me to decide whether to take unpaid leave; rather, it was not an option. My wife & I both leaving work would have placed too much financial strain.”
- Stephanie, a barista in Seattle: “The retail partners are the core of how we keep our customers coming back! You can ask any customer why they love their regular Starbucks, they will never say it's because of someone in the corporate office. I know that our corporate employees are just as important to the success of the company, which is why we all deserve equal family paid time off!”
- Mary-Anne, a barista in Shoreline: “No one at daycare is going to hold your two-week old baby for as long as he needs. It is heartbreaking, anguishing to hand over your baby, to leave your baby so soon.”
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Contact: Sage Wilson, Working Washington: 206-227-6014, sage@workingwa.org
Working Washington is a statewide workers organization that fights to raise wages, improve labor standards, and change the conversation about wealth, inequality, and the value of work. We launched the fast food strikes that sparked the fight for $15 in Seattle; we helped lead the successful campaign to pass $15 in SeaTac; and we work in coalition with unions, faith groups, and grassroots organizations to ensure everyone can support themselves, afford the basics, and contribute to the economy. For more information, including our press kit, visit workingWA.org.