PHILADELPHIA - Employees at a Philadelphia Starbucks went on strike Friday in an effort to unionize amid alleged pushback from the coffee giant.Picketers marched outside the Starbucks at 12th and Market streets in the blistering heat to make their demands known.
Kat Pfligler, a Starbucks employee, said she and her co-workers want their manager fired because of ‘retaliation’ since they filed for a union.
The Center City Starbucks is one of four locations across Philadelphia that voted to unionize. Similar efforts have ramped up nationally for retailers like Starbucks and Apple, and both companies have pushed back against the efforts. MORE HEADLINESAmalia Jade Inkeles, a Shift Supervisor at a Philadelphia Starbucks pushing for unionization, said his store hasn't received backlash from management about their decision to file for a union.
At the same time, Inkeles said he and his co-workers haven't received correspondence from Starbucks higher-ups. "We count ourselves lucky that we have yet to receive that much retaliation, on the flip side, we haven’t received much of anything there’s been no indication from Starbucks that they’re ready or willing to negotiate with us," Inkeles told FOX 29.