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To read more about Episode 228, visit the main episode page.
Michael Moore [00:00:08] This is Rumble with Michael Moore, and I’m Michael Moore.
Michael Moore [00:01:13] It’s the dead of winter, folks, and everyone’s hunkering down and going down to avoid all the or well, at least you should be. But some people can’t. They’re the people who feed us, clothe us, who bring us our packages. And I don’t drink coffee, but maybe in your case, they’re the people who give you the coffee you need to start your day. Or perhaps some of you who are listening, you are those people. The people that we. Like to call essential workers. Well, for nearly two years, workers in all sectors of the service industry have been working through grueling, unsafe conditions without adequate personal protection gear. With no recourse to protect themselves from customers who come in to scream at them without a mask on because their ventilator didn’t have enough foam.
Michael Moore [00:02:17] Do I have that right? A venti latte? Again, I have to admit I’m not much of a coffee person, but what I have been following is the inspiring campaign out of Buffalo, New York. So they’ve had a vote at three of the Starbucks locations in the Buffalo area, and two of them have voted in the union, and they are the first unionized Starbucks anywhere across the United States of America. My friends, this is huge and it’s an historic victory for an industry service, fast food, etc. That is defined by harsh working conditions at low wages for something that was by our own government, defined as essential businesses from the start of this pandemic. And about all that got you was people banging their pots and pans for you at seven o’clock every night. Not much else because you’re still vulnerable, you still have to work there. And moreover, Starbucks itself, when you think about this company, it was practically built from the ground up to stifle any kind of union activity, any kind of organizing. So this was truly an uphill battle in Buffalo, and these winds are already making a seismic impact.
Michael Moore [00:03:44] So I’m excited to have on two of the main organizers from the Starbucks Workers United and today’s episode of Rumble Jazz Brassica and Casey Moore. No relation both out of Buffalo to tell us about this historic win and why it’s just the start of the struggle. So I’m going to thank a couple. Were underwriters here for today’s episode. You may want to just start sharing this with friends, family, coworkers at your places of employment that do not have a union to protect you.
Michael Moore [00:04:16] But let me just give a shout out here to my underwriters for today, and the first one is Netflix. Netflix has been a longtime supporter and underwriter of this podcast. I’m extremely grateful for that and for today, Netflix in underwriting. Today’s episode is doing so by putting forth and promoting their incredible documentary called Procession by the acclaimed filmmaker. Robert Green Procession follows the cathartic journey of six men as they come together to collectively work through their trauma by directing a drama therapy inspired experiment. To a radically collaborative filmmaking process, they create fictional scenes based on their memories and experiences surrounding their abuse by the Catholic Church over the years. It’s this is an amazing documentary because it blends in all the the church rituals, the culture, the hierarchies, all the systems that worked hand in hand to silence any complaint from the abused. I’ve never seen this done in a documentary like this. It’s a unique approach. It allows the subjects of this film procession to not only talk and listen, but to be seen and heard reclaiming their agency in the process. These men form a makeshift family and a support network, proving that none of them are alone. This is an incredible film. You have to see this. It’s been hailed by critics across the country as one of the best documentaries of the year. Procession is a powerful film where reclaiming the story is the story itself, and I fully and highly recommend watching Procession now streaming on Netflix.
Michael Moore [00:06:14] I also want to thank another incredible film. Yes, we have two films supporting this podcast today and and supporting my work, so thank you very much again to National Geographic. They have a documentary film out called The First Wave, with exclusive access inside one of New York’s hardest hit hospital systems during the first terrifying four months of the pandemic. Oscar nominated and Emmy Award winning director Matthew Heineman, great filmmaker, by the way. This is his film. This is his next film, The First Wave. It spotlights the everyday heroes that were at the epicenter of COVID 19 when it began as they came together to fight one of the greatest threats the world has ever encountered. Matthews, the kind of filmmaker who, when something’s happening, he doesn’t wait for everybody else to figure it out or the pundit class to tell us what’s going on. He and his team, they pick up the cameras and they go, and they did this not knowing what would happen. Or it’s just it’s an amazing film, the first wave. It documents the impact of what was then the deadly new coronavirus on the patients and on hospital workers, and he does it with sensitivity, but without sanitizing the suffering. You know, this is not one of these things where they tell you on cable news, you may want to look away or we’re not going to show you the whole thing. Matthew shows you the whole thing here in the first wave. It’s also up for consideration this year for Best Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards. Cool. And it’s now streaming on Disney Plus,.
Michael Moore [00:07:59] Our third underwriter of the episode. Then we’re going to get right to the Starbucks workers and their union stamps.com. Whether you’re a small business owner sending mail to big extended family or just trying to stay safe these days. Sometimes you don’t have the time to deal with the hassle of going to the Post Office. So with Stamps.com, you can skip the trip and never waste another dollar or a minute. Stamps.com let you print official postage right from your computer. No special supplies or equipment needed, and it is approved and licensed by the United States Postal Service. My crew and I use stamps.com when we’re making our films doing lots of shipping, traveling, etc. We always have stamps on us because we subscribed to Stamps.com. It lets you access all of the post office and also ups shipping services that you need not, aren’t there. They work something out there. So you’ve got the post office and ups giving you what you need without you having to go to either the Post Office or UBS and you get discounts that you can’t find anywhere else, like up to 40 percent off Postal Service rates and 76 percent off. U.P.S. rates. So get your new year off to a good start by saving time and money with Stamps.com. One of our wonderful underwriters of Rumble with Michael Moore, and by the way, you can sign up with a promo code more. My last name Moto3 for a special offer that includes a four week trial, free postage and a digital scale. No long term commitments or contracts, so just go to stamps dot com, click the microphone at the top of the page and enter the code moore m o o r e
Michael Moore [00:10:00] So we have with us here two of the people who helped to lead this incredible movement. The union is called, as I said. Starbucks Workers United and my two guests are two members of that union who have succeeded up in Buffalo. And we’re going to get into their story and how this happened and and how those of you who are working at places that are not unionized could possibly make it happen where you work. Welcome to Rumble, a Jaz Brisack and Casey Moore. No relation but, but but a proud name for any union organizer. How are you? Two?
Jaz Brisack & Casey Moore [00:10:45] We’re doing great. Thank you so much for having us.
Michael Moore [00:10:48] Oh yeah. No, no. Thank you. Thank you for doing this. Thank you for what you’ve done. And I think for people that are not aware of this because I know this started back. There’s there’s as I recall, there’s three different Starbucks locations up there, one in Buffalo, one in is it Elmwood? And what’s the third? It was the Genesee.
Speaker 3 [00:11:05] Yes. So there is three elections held so far. The two that are unionized are Elmwood and Genesee, and then there’s been three more in Buffalo and a bunch more around the country are going to vote swallowing.
Michael Moore [00:11:19] OK, wow. That’s incredible. So walk this back a little bit and start at the beginning and tell people how this occurred. Because those of us who are just civilians who just, you know, I’m not really. I hate to say that, should I admit at the beginning of the episode that I’m not a coffee drinker? That’s OK. You have tea. I’ve had to have had oatmeal at Starbucks. I am. I am familiar with Starbucks. But but this this is this is new and rare and amazing. And so I want you to tell our listeners here how this happened and how this happened in a place we lovingly call Buffalo.
Speaker 3 [00:12:04] Well, I think it started honestly before the pandemic with a coffee shop unionizing called Spot Coffee. And those baristas overcame a lot of union busting from spot management and formed their union, won a really good contract and inspired baristas across the country to do the same thing. Whether that was collective or when some of the other unions that have started organizing and one or Starbucks workers. So I know the first Starbucks workers to reach out about unionizing reached out in 2019. So it was a long time coming. Obviously, the pandemic interrupted that and put things on hold for a while. But certainly there’s Starbucks workers everywhere who’ve talked about this for a long time.
Michael Moore [00:13:07] All over, all over the country, right?
Jaz Brisack [00:13:08] Exactly. What happened in Buffalo was a perfect meeting of a very strong union town baristas able to take on the fight and a union willing to back us up
Michael Moore [00:13:22] and who and who is backing up. You call it Starbucks Workers United. Is that a part of the EFL or some other union or is it its own entity?
Jaz Brisack [00:13:32] It’s part of Workers United
Michael Moore [00:13:34] Workers United, right? OK.
Jaz Brisack [00:13:35] That’s a union that’s a independent affiliate of SEIU. But Workers United upstate New York is really committed to organizing this industry, which started with support and is now growing.
Michael Moore [00:13:49] And what do you call the industry itself? Are we talking about food workers, fast food workers? What what? What is the kind of the goal and the focus of the organizers?
Casey Moore [00:14:02] Yeah, I would say, you know, we’re talking about the service sector industry, really. And folks, like you said, who are baristas at Starbucks, baristas at spot, you know, folks who are fast food workers. And you know, I think a lot of the people that have been called essential workers throughout this pandemic who were deemed essential enough to risk their lives, to go into work, to make sure people could pick up whether that was a coffee or hamburger or whatever it was. But you haven’t been given the resources or wages or working conditions that they deserve, especially being called essential workers, right?
Michael Moore [00:14:46] That’s that’s a very important point to make. And in the end, what kind of what are the safety concerns that you and the other workers have? Because I’ve read that there have been there’s a number of places that. Seem to have little concern during COVID. For the people that are working for their company,
Jaz Brisack [00:15:08] well, I can speak to that as a partner at the Elmwood Store that walked out over COVID safety last week because what happened was we had an outbreak of COVID in our store and you know, people were people tested positive and then about a third of the store ended up being on self isolation. And we met with the company and asked them, You know, can we close the store? Can we get ninety five? Can we change the policy so that we can deny service to people who aren’t complying with the statewide mask mandate? And all of our requests, they said no to. So we ended up feeling like we had no choice but to walk out to try to keep us safe.
Casey Moore [00:16:00] And I would just like to add to that, you know, Starbucks Starbucks is response to COVID concerns has not been actually about our health and safety. It’s about union busting. So for example, in Arizona, there was a there was a store that’s filing for a petition that is about to have their election. And they had two confirmed COVID cases and the store was shut down for five days. At the same time that the Elmwood store, they wouldn’t shut it down for the same reason. Similarly, we just had a store that filed for union election and in Cleveland, Ohio, which is really exciting. They filed for a petition on Monday. Guess what? Today’s Wednesday and Starbucks just announced that for Cleveland, they’re going to drive thru and mobile order pickup only. How so? Yeah. So it’s really it’s not a concern for our safety. Unfortunately, it’s it’s a concern to bust our union, and it’s very obvious at this point that they’re only choosing to do so when when they think it can, it can benefit them. But when it actually comes to our health and safety, that’s not clearly a concern.
Michael Moore [00:17:12] So what was what was the original thinking in terms of you and your your fellow, your coworkers there? When you first started thinking about maybe we should consider unionizing? What was there a moment? Was there some epiphany, something that the company did? And just just start at the what sparked this and and why you thought it might be possible to to organize as a union at Starbucks? I mean,
Jaz Brisack [00:17:44] I think, you know, I’m a bit of a labor history nerd I’ve been since I was 16. I think there’s not a workplace in the country that shouldn’t have a union. And I think working at Starbucks and realizing how many people were attracted to Starbucks because of the values that they profess to have, they say that they embrace activism, whether that’s, you know, BlackLivesMatter or LGBT rights or animal rights. Why not union rights? And turns out there was a whole lot of Starbucks partners who were interested in organizing around labor rights as well.
Michael Moore [00:18:22] So it didn’t it? When you first started putting out the idea to people which had been a little scary because you didn’t know who might go and tell management that you were thinking of doing this, what was the response? What was the initial reaction from your fellow workers?
Casey Moore [00:18:38] Right. I think, you know, from my perspective, I. My dad is in the teachers union, but so I had always had like a positive idea of about him, you know? So to be honest, though, when I first heard about a union at Starbucks, though, I was like, I never heard about unions in the service industry. You know, like, how does that even work? Like with with a chain like Starbucks, right? There’s so many stories like how is this even going to work? So, you know, after I was able to like, learn about spot and things like that, I was like, OK, maybe this is something that could work for me and my coworkers too. But I honestly, like Joe, said, I think there was a lot of actual excitement when the idea was kind of spreading around Buffalo, like a lot of people had had thought about this before, but were honestly scared because of the company is anti-union history. So there was a lot of fear, I think that, you know, as. This campaign has gone on, I think a lot of that has receded because we’ve been empowered and we can see what we can do when we all stand together and stick up for each other and fight for for our right. But you know, Starbucks has continued to union bust around the country,
Michael Moore [00:19:49] which is illegal, which is illegal to union, right? Yeah.
Casey Moore [00:19:52] And you know, we we have filed allegations with the NLRB, so they’ll be the ones that ultimately decide what is legal and not legal. But, you know, we have seen everything from listening sessions which are really anti-union meetings to, you know, threats where they say things like you could lose your benefits, too. Yeah, just spying and intimidation tactics to try to do anything they can to stop us from unionizing.
Michael Moore [00:20:20] Now again, for the civilians, those of us who are listening to this, who have never, never been employed by Starbucks, you know, we watch the commercials and we see all the the shiny, happy people when we go in there. And Starbucks spends a lot of money telling us the public that things are not only so hunky dory there, it’s a great place to work. People are treated well. They’re treated like human beings. There’s all these benefits. And on and on top of all, all of that, why it’s so nice to work here. We don’t even we don’t even refer to them as employees or workers, their partners. And I know you use that word a little bit earlier. And I and I thought, don’t make don’t make a point of this because I don’t want anybody to lose their job here because you referred to yourself as an employee and not a partner, but just for the people listening. I don’t want them to think that the two of you have a one third share, all above all, the Buffalo Starbucks.
Casey Moore [00:21:32] Thank you for clarifying that.
Michael Moore [00:21:35] Just in case there’s any confusion.
Michael Moore [00:21:37] But, but no, but seriously, what do you think? I mean, you know what I’m talking about, right? Though the public thinks that Starbucks is one of these kind of progressive, liberated organizations. What’s the truth?
Jaz Brisack [00:21:50] I mean, I think for one thing, we’re working in an industry that artificially low wage, low benefit. And, you know, people are in precarious positions and Starbucks is a little better than a lot of other employers. And so far they’ve managed to bust every union that’s tried to organize in the past by pointing to that. And I think we’re really came together to say just because something is better than it could be, why can’t it be the best it can be instead of defining Starbucks around? You know, is it better than McDonald’s? Is it better than Dunkin Donuts were saying? Why is that Starbucks the best that it can be a Starbucks? Because when you have corporate folks worth billions of dollars and you know, partners that can’t pay rent and put groceries in their fridge, something’s wrong. And there’s no reason that this industry is paid so much less than manufacturing or other industries. The reason that we’re paid so much less is because we have no unions.
Michael Moore [00:23:01] It seems like Howard Schultz and I’ve, you know, I’ve read his stuff over the years and seen him on shows and whatever part of the Starbucks business model has been to ensure that there are no unions. It seems like his business model for Starbucks has, and he is, you know, part of I guess the propaganda is that our workers partners don’t need a union because we treat them so well. I mean, yes, you need a union if you know people are getting whipped out back or whatever. But you know you don’t need one here because we’re a happy place to work and we treat everybody differently than those other places you mentioned.
Casey Moore [00:23:44] Right? And Michael, do we have a Howard Schultz story for you?
Michael Moore [00:23:49] Oh, please, please let me get the camera crew, and
Casey Moore [00:23:53] I know we might. You know, we might.
Jaz Brisack [00:23:56] We might. Let’s revisit that. We might need you with a camera crew down the road.
Michael Moore [00:24:00] Oh, I’m I accept most invitations, so thank you for that. It always seems like we always want to help, you know? I mean, I don’t know what you know about me, but I’m my uncle was in the sit down strike that founded the United Auto Workers, the UAW back in 1937. And so this has been, you know, in my family forever. But but tell me about the Howard Schultz story that he would not want you to tell me.
Casey Moore [00:24:30] So, yeah, so leading. Up to this, I mean, to go back to your point about, you know, Starbucks as a progressive company, I think, you know, honestly, I was and I think a lot of other partners were like a bit naive about what to expect from Starbucks because there is this kind of feeling about that. Starbucks is better. You know, Starbucks, is it Amazon? They’re not Wal-Mart. You know, these these big companies that you think of as not having the same mission and values and respect for workers. But unfortunately, the truth is that, you know, a lot of that talk is hollow and is just for PR. And I think what we’re trying to do is make Starbucks live up to those mission and values that they stand for because a lot of people do love Starbucks. And do you want to make it better? But going back to our Howard Schultz story, this was like leading up right before the first three elections up here in Buffalo, and we all got this text and this this big thing. And it was like, there is going to be a surprise guest. Like, Come to what hotel was it at? It was at the Hilton or something like that. Some fancy hotel in Buffalo. Yeah, in Buffalo.
Michael Moore [00:25:40] So there’s going to be a surprise guest in Buffalo for all the area Starbucks workers, right?
Casey Moore [00:25:48] And even better, you get paid to go. You get paid and there will be food,
Jaz Brisack [00:25:52] drinks and small bites. Yes, the drinks were Pike Place costs continue.
Casey Moore [00:25:58] So of course, you know me and a lot of my coworkers couldn’t miss the opportunity to see who the special guest was. And I think they might have told us they kept us at like seven a.m. right the day of and was like, it’s Howard Schultz. And I was like, Oh, OK.
Jaz Brisack [00:26:14] It means Taylor Swift bailed on them.
Casey Moore [00:26:16] Yeah, we were thinking it might be Taylor Swift, but
Michael Moore [00:26:20] all right now, one of the Jonas Brothers or Beyonce or Jay-Z,
Casey Moore [00:26:26] right? Actually, no, I think Joe Jonas does promotions for them. So Joe Jonas, if you’re listening to our side, we have union buttons.
Michael Moore [00:26:35] OK. OK. Mr. Jonas, there the challenge has been put forth, but so OK. So. So you find out at seven in the morning that the surprise guest is going to be Howard Schultz. And so you go and you. What’s the first thing you do? I guess, you know, change into something more formal. Put on, put on your Easter Sunday dress. What exactly happened at that moment when you learned it was Howard Schultz?
Casey Moore [00:27:04] So I think a lot of us actually grabbed our union T-shirt. That was probably dirty and needed a wash, but threw it on anyway and decided to head down to the Hilton, which oh, the best part of the story is that they gave us they were supposed to pay for our parking. And turns out, the validation tickets they gave us didn’t work. So that was fun at the end of the night. But so we all drive down.
Michael Moore [00:27:30] That’s really, I mean, seriously, when you promise validated parking, at least if you promise that in L.A., you know, other cities, you know they’re going to take care of you.
Casey Moore [00:27:41] You got to deliver it.
Michael Moore [00:27:42] Yeah. But in Buffalo, that’s just that’s humiliating, frankly.
Casey Moore [00:27:48] And so, you know, I think the evening started with who was it that spoke first jazz DNA. We had DNA, who is the regional vice president in this area and, you know, was talking about her experience with Starbucks and, you know. How much it meant for her and how excited she was for the special guest, which of course, is Howard Schultz. And you know, that was all good and fine. But just if I could describe Howard’s hour long speech, it was essentially a billionaire talking to hourly wage workers and saying, who asked Starbucks to give you guys health care. Nobody who asked you, who asked us to give you things like Spotify forced us. Yeah, forced us and ask you tuition nobody. So it was just very interesting that the speech and then of course, I’ll let just tell the end of the story, which is the best part. Well.
Jaz Brisack [00:28:54] There’s two best parts, I think the first one was that he not convinced that he had made his point by talking about how wonderful he and his benefits were, decided to tell a story about his rabbi on a trip to Israel, telling him that he should or telling him a story about how prisoners during the Holocaust shared blankets in concentration camps with their fellow prisoners. And how Howard took that and said Everything we’ve tried to do at Starbucks is just that share our blanket because I don’t think that that was a very appropriate thing. And then when he got some flak for it, he was just like, Well, I’ve told this story before, but the other best part
Michael Moore [00:29:44] was that was that was a cringe moment. So it must get better after this, right? It does,
Jaz Brisack [00:29:51] because I don’t know how no one interrupted Howard because some of the things he was saying were wild. But we waited very respectfully for him to finish and get through his monologue. And then Gianna, one of the organizing committee leaders from the Camp Road store, got up and asked him said no one has responded to our requests that Starbucks signed the fair election principles and actually agree to stop their union busting. Will you do that? And actually, like talk to his partner to partner. And he fled the room while Gianna was surrounded by corporate people and physically pushed back.
Michael Moore [00:30:34] And what part of the Niagara River did they find her in?
Casey Moore [00:30:39] She’s luckily she’s alive and well, good. Wow.
Michael Moore [00:30:43] That took courage.
Casey Moore [00:30:45] Yeah, it
Jaz Brisack [00:30:45] was spectacular after that is our hero. She is our hero after that. People from all over the district, including stores that haven’t had a strong union committee as of yet, came up and one person was like, I’ve had this union pin in my purse for the past two months and I’m wearing it tonight for the first time. It was powerful.
Michael Moore [00:31:06] Wow. You know, as you guys continue to succeed here, union wise, you know how Starbucks has that that special holiday holiday cup. I think when this is over, there should be a special Labor Day weekend cup with her photo on the cup.
Jaz Brisack [00:31:26] She would not like that. So that’s a woman. Of course, we definitely have to do with that.
Michael Moore [00:31:32] What was her? What was her name again?
Jaz Brisack [00:31:34] Gianna Reeve her.
Michael Moore [00:31:35] OK, so Gianna Reeve on the Labor Day weekend. Starbucks Cup, Labor Labor
Casey Moore [00:31:42] hero, labor hero. That’s yes.
Michael Moore [00:31:44] So I assume when this thing started rolling, you started organizing at these different Starbucks locations. What? What, what? What was the most sinister thing that happened in terms of them trying to put an end to this to or to the people who were doing it? Like you said, you had informational meetings, so you got the whole spiel about how. You know what, I’m I’m sure the spiel didn’t include the Holocaust story. I mean, I’m hoping that it didn’t.
Jaz Brisack [00:32:19] If only Howard would go to
Michael Moore [00:32:21] give us a flavor of what that was was like.
Jaz Brisack [00:32:24] I mean, I think the most insidious thing they did, the meetings
Speaker 5 [00:32:29] were
Jaz Brisack [00:32:30] bad and scary and anxiety inducing, certainly. But the worst thing was, you know, there is no cafeteria spaces, there’s no non-work areas. We were talking to people in the back room on lunch break, signing people up, even at the espresso bar. And they brought in managers from across the country. I think hundred out of state partners is actually a conservative estimate, to be honest, across all of buffalo. And they made sure that there is always someone reporting back to corporate at every part of the day. And in some stores they tried to be super nice to us. In some stores, they started putting partners on final written warnings. But regardless of their tactics, they came in and completely disrupted. Our stores made it really hard to have conversations at work and completely changed what it felt like. They took stores from being fun, laid back, energetic places to work and made them into anxiety inducing. Very unfamiliar places, right?
Casey Moore [00:33:42] Yeah. And, you know, they they didn’t do what I think a lot of people were really scared about, like they don’t they didn’t come in and fire people. But what they did was have this nice guy attitude, which I think was sometimes worse in some ways because they made you feel it was just gaslighting. So you would have these anti-union meetings. And their line is, we’re just giving you the facts, and they’re not facts, they’re half truths. And when you know any union sympathizer would speak up, they would say, Well, that’s your opinion. So just a constant, just constant gaslighting, you know, for one of the final meetings at the three stores before they voted. They refused to let some of the more vocal union leaders into meetings. They locked them out of their own stores.
Jaz Brisack [00:34:32] And then they tried to turn the folks who are inside that meeting against the people that they were keeping outside and tell them, you know, those people can’t be trusted, they’re not going to be there for you. If you vote for the union, we’re not going to let you transfer to any other stores for college. Like literally everything they could
Casey Moore [00:34:49] throw at them. And right, those are all hollow threats. That’s not going to happen. But you know, they use their words literally to try to scare people. That’s exactly what they’re trying to do is scared, intimidate. And luckily, in a lot of cases, it didn’t work. But it’s it’s got to stop. And as these campaigns continue to pop up around the country, that’s been the biggest demand is the union busting has to stop here and now it’s unacceptable.
Jaz Brisack [00:35:15] And now I’m what is the first was the first certified Starbucks in the US and now Genesee is also certified.
Michael Moore [00:35:25] And would you call them suburbs of Buffalo, Genesee and Elmwood?
Jaz Brisack [00:35:29] Elmwood is a neighborhood in central buffalo, so it’s so
Michael Moore [00:35:33] that’s in the
Jaz Brisack [00:35:34] certainly in the city. Yes, Genesee is in Cheektowaga, which is a suburb of Buffalo, right? OK. But as we’re looking to bargain, our first contracts are number one. Ask of the company is did they actually put the fair election principles into the contract? And you know, the Buffalo is the ending of their union busting campaign because our number one priority is making sure that no partners have to go through what we went through and that everybody can have the same right to organize that we are fighting for.
Michael Moore [00:36:14] Right, right. Well, that’s so important to do that. That’s really good that you guys are doing that. So of the of the three there, the three stores that have been organizing to have voted in the union. Is that correct?
Casey Moore [00:36:28] Correct, yes.
Michael Moore [00:36:29] And the other one is, where are you at in the process with that one?
Jaz Brisack [00:36:34] Well, so we did not win that vote. There were some ballots that were delivered to the NLRB office, but were misplaced. Honestly, not 100 percent sure what is going on there, but. I think the union busting disruption was so great that, you know, if I think I think we’re asking the NLRB to examine that election because it certainly, you know, Starbucks laughed at us for asking for a fair election. It wasn’t a fair election, right?
Casey Moore [00:37:10] Well, I think the whole process honestly just highlighted to me who, you know before this didn’t really have any idea about labor law. But having experienced this just shows it’s not labor law. It’s it’s corporations law. It’s not for workers. It was never for us. And every single thing that we’ve overcome to get to this point has has been exactly that, us overcoming yet another obstacle. You know, when those first three stores filed for a petition for an election, they didn’t get it for another three or so months. And that was a tactic by Starbucks. So they could do things like host these meetings and send it managers.
Jaz Brisack [00:37:51] I mean, we have we had more stores in the area file for elections, and they closed one of those stores and turned it into a training store. And because of, you know, Starbucks using Trump labor board loopholes and delay tactics that they enabled, they’ve managed to make sure that that store that they completely disrupted and closed for over a month, at least well over a month, maybe two became a still hasn’t gotten to actually vote in their union.
Michael Moore [00:38:28] Well, this has been big news across the country and even people that don’t pay attention to labor news or news entities that don’t bother to cover anything to do with labor. This is this has broken through. And so, you know, people know about this around the country. I would assume that workers at other Starbucks or other similar entities have probably contacted you to figure out, Hey, how’d you do this? And what can we do if that happened?
Casey Moore [00:39:00] Yeah, absolutely. Almost every day we get requests to help on our Instagram or Twitter or email or whatever platform they can reach us to reach us out there. They’re reaching out because I think, like we said before, so many people had this idea to want to unionize before and just didn’t know where to start or didn’t think that it was possible. But you know it. It what we’ve said from the start is it only takes one. And and we’ve done that and we got to actually we got Elmwood and Genesee, so we only needed one. We got two. And I think the floodgates are kind of opening to the possibility that we can do this. We can stand together and fight back and and have a better.
Michael Moore [00:39:44] It’s inspiring. Yeah. So, so so every day you get contacted, do you have a sense when you’re when you’re done either communicating via email or Twitter or or on the phone? Do you get a sense that, wow, this is going to happen in Cleveland or Seattle or wherever like you have a sense? Or do you just think, Oh my God, they don’t know what they’re getting into? This will never happen.
Jaz Brisack [00:40:11] It’s incredibly energizing. I was talking to some partners who are not public yet, so I can’t say where, but it was incredibly energizing to see, you know them start figuring out over the course of the conversation that this really was something that was going to happen and that they could make happen. And I think there was at least 18 petitions that have been filed after Buffalo. So it’s spreading like wildfire now,
Michael Moore [00:40:44] eight, 18 at Starbucks. Yes. Oh, so we’re not talking about other service are food entities. Just 18 more have been filed since what you did up there
Jaz Brisack [00:40:55] since the first three.
Casey Moore [00:40:57] Yeah, that includes six in Buffalo as well.
Jaz Brisack [00:40:59] That includes St., the next three in Buffalo. I don’t think it includes the first three. It does. Oh, OK. Sorry.
Michael Moore [00:41:05] Hey, whatever it is,
Casey Moore [00:41:06] that’s a lie so that I don’t sound so stupid right now. But you know
Michael Moore [00:41:11] what I mean, though? That’s a lot. Yes, that’s I never would have expected that it already than a wildfire had been started here in Buffalo.
Casey Moore [00:41:22] And I’ll tell you what to. It’s not just I think it’s incredible. You’re not just seeing this in like, you know what you think of like liberal areas, it’s not just New York or, you know, now no one has even launched in California or anything. It’s been Knoxville, Tennessee, Tallahassee, Florida, you know, like places like where you don’t even think that this would happen, but it’s happening because people want it. You know, people are are saying enough is enough. And I think it’s like a generational thing to where this economic system that we have is not working and people are saying, What can we do? And I think we’re seeing unions as the the solution.
Michael Moore [00:42:01] Yeah, let’s talk a little bit about that. Why? Because this is something has happened certainly during the pandemic. A lot of people have had time to reflect and consider how we want to live our lives. I think this seems to be part of a larger movement. The fact that like in the last numbers we have for November, four and a half million workers quit just outright quit their jobs in just one month. And then there’s all the others who have been quietly getting the union cards, quietly doing the organizing and then not so quietly and the walkouts that have taken place, the actual strikes that have taken place with places that are already unionized and then Kellogg’s Kellogg’s of Battle Creek, Michigan. Huge strike. And and at the end of these strikes, people seem a lot. Or maybe a little, maybe a lot happier. I mean, do you get a sense that that you are not only part of this moment, but you are helping to create this incredible movement and moment that we are in when it comes to people who work? And I mean W Capital W
Casey Moore [00:43:18] work for us.
Jaz Brisack [00:43:21] I mean, I think certainly because at Starbucks, there is a certain amount of attention that our campaign is getting. That, I think, means people are realizing this is truly possible. I think, you know, the turnover in this industry is higher than ever, but it’s always been high. And that’s been kind of an accepted fact of doing business. I mean, even as we’ve been organizing, people are like, Well, if you don’t like it, why? Why not just leave? And we’re like, But we do like it. We just want it to be better. And I think that’s something that you know, Starbucks might have tested with their union busting campaign. But the partners truly do love working at Starbucks and care about this company or we would have walked.
Michael Moore [00:44:15] When you say it’s very interesting the way you put that people say to you, why don’t you just quit? Well, actually, we do like working here. We just think it can be better defined, better for the people that are listening.
Casey Moore [00:44:29] I mean, the biggest thing is, you know, because it’s a public facing job like we are the ones the baristas are, the ones that are in the stores day in and day out doing the work, interacting with customers like We’re the face of Starbucks without baristas. I know people like to say the robots can come in, but they have not Starbucks. If they think that robots are going to make your caramel macchiato the way you want it with extra caramel drizzle, it’s just not the way it works. Yeah. So we are the ones that are in the stores day in and day out. We know how to make these stores work the best. You know, I think people like to like to say things like workers are against technology and things like that. We’re not like we. We know the tech can work for us. We just want to say and how it works and how to make our stores the best they can be, because at the end of the day, we’re going to have the best ideas. So it’s about, you know, having a voice of, say, a seat at the table, but you know, to make it better. I also think that if you’re working 40 hours a week when you’re on your feet all day, like literally running around like you shouldn’t have to have another job, you shouldn’t have to work 80 hours a week to have a decent standard of living. And I think that’s the number one thing in this industry is. Will have two or three more jobs sometimes, and there’s no reason for that, there’s no reason for that at all. Especially with a company that just gave their CEO a $20 million bonus in the middle of a global pandemic, like it’s unacceptable.
Jaz Brisack [00:45:54] There’s also like people keep pouring themselves to build on what you’re saying. People are pouring themselves into this job and giving so much of themselves to make, you know, the store work to make customers happy to do all of these things, and then they’re still completely disposable. There is no seniority pay. My 11 year coworker who had been who was in many ways the leader of the campaign was making just 16 cents more than me, and I was making the same as a new hire. And I think. You know, there is no recognition for the long term people and no valuing partner shouldn’t have to go hide in the back because a customer is being creepy. And I don’t think there’s really anybody who’s worked at a Starbucks who hasn’t done that or knows multiple people who are doing that. And I think this is a way to make sure that our voices are actually heard and that we’re actually protected, right?
Michael Moore [00:47:03] Right. It’s really the it’s it’s not so much this picayune stuff that people think that you guys and any money, frankly, that wants to join a union that that you are looking at this in a much more global way and by global. I don’t mean around the world the actual planet. I mean, there are larger issues afoot here. Of how we are going to be treated and how we are going to treat others. And and we’re in the 21st century. We are not going to live like people had to live in the 18th or 19th or 20th centuries. And I think if I may suggest personally that that your generation people who are in their teens and 20s and early 30s, even even that. And I don’t mean to put this kind of pressure on you, but but I’m I’m gratified. For you, stepping up and offering to lead the way and to and to fix the things that we in the older generations, we did our best, we did good things, but we didn’t. We didn’t hand you the way it should be. And now you have to do it. Is that OK to say it that way? Or or do you just say to me, shut the fuck up and go back to doing what you should have been doing, which is giving us a life that where where work and labor was done with respect and we were treated as equal human beings.
Jaz Brisack [00:48:41] I mean, I think we’re building on the movement of the past. I don’t think it’s completely a generational divide, although I think there are certainly a generational shift that you know what’s happened before. Has it worked and we need a return to unions, but no. I mean, our organizer is 70 years old, is the most amazing person I’ve ever met and wow, you know, organizing
Michael Moore [00:49:08] helped organize your these buffalo Starbucks locations
Jaz Brisack [00:49:14] 70 years old. His name is Richard Bensinger. He’s amazing. He I mean, he and I bonded over our love of Phil Oakes folk music. So perhaps I am actually a boomer as well. But wow, I mean, he’s the best organizer since Joe Hill and may be better, but he doesn’t like it. If I say that.
Michael Moore [00:49:32] What’s his name again? Richard Bissinger?
Jaz Brisack [00:49:34] Richard Bensinger. We will
Michael Moore [00:49:36] also bensinger. You know, we have to put him on the opposite side of the Starbucks Labor Day Cup.
Casey Moore [00:49:42] Yes.
Michael Moore [00:49:43] The one that Gianna is on on the other side is is Richard at 70 years old.
Jaz Brisack [00:49:49] We love him.
Casey Moore [00:49:50] He likes to call us. Thank you. Yeah, I don’t know if jazz likes the term, but he’s been pushing it. Jen, you yeah. Generation union. And maybe that can include everything. I love that we have to just be young people. It can be anybody who is fed up with their generation and wants to join a new one. We’re the exclusive venue.
Michael Moore [00:50:12] Right, right. Wow. So, OK, so where do we go from here? What? What do we do with what we’ve learned and you’ve learned in your success? How do we how do we make this spread across the country and and around the world? Because there are people listening to this in many countries who work not only at Starbucks, but all kinds of American, especially fast food places, and would love to know that there was a possibility that they could show up to work, be paid, what they should be paid and be treated with dignity.
Jaz Brisack [00:50:47] Well, right now we’re in a fight for our lives to get a good first contract because winning the election is certainly a milestone and certainly something that I think has been a catalyst for a lot of folks trying to organize. But we have to get a contract, and that means that we have to actually break through Starbucks union busting because we’re fighting for the right to organize for everybody, and we’re fighting for a better standard for the partners and buffalo who are going to be covered by this contract and for everybody else who’s going to be negotiating a contract in the future. So I think we need as much public support as possible to actually call on Starbucks to negotiate with us in good faith, to stop fighting the union in Buffalo and in all of the other cities that are organizing and to truly realize that, you know, our slogan from the beginning of the union campaign has been partners becoming partners because we’re only asking them to live up to their words, to live up to their mission and values and. Do the right thing, which they already say that they do, so it shouldn’t be that hard to make good on it.
Michael Moore [00:51:58] That’s a really good point. What can I do?
Jaz Brisack [00:52:01] That’s for you? This is where you come in with the camera crew. So I think we should have, you know, a. Where where is Howard Schultz? Or maybe where’s Kevin Johnson? Kevin hasn’t shown his face the entire campaign.
Casey Moore [00:52:16] Only on what’s that show the money show over.
Jaz Brisack [00:52:19] He went on Jim Cramer to to say that a union was unnecessary,
Casey Moore [00:52:23] that it’s a third party that’s been like there other like Classic Line Union as a third party, which of course, is not true. We are the union. But yeah, he’s made, I think, two appearances on Cramer. But but, you know, Cramer did have
Casey Moore [00:52:38] Michele on, so that helps. Right?
Michael Moore [00:52:42] So but but the people who are listening, who aren’t going to make a movie, what can they do? What can they do to the people who are listening to this right now? What can they do starting tomorrow? Even the smallest of thing, especially people that go to Starbucks?
Casey Moore [00:52:58] Right? I would. I would just say, I mean, especially Starbucks customers, they listen to them honestly, a whole lot more than they listen to us. Like, call on Starbucks, whether that’s on social media or when you’re in the store or wherever you can to call corporate, call corporate, like tell them to stop their union busting go on. They have a huge following on Instagram. Go and comment to stop union busting because, you know, because Starbucks presents them solubility, right? Because they present themselves as this progressive company, it’s not a good luck for them. It’s not a good look that they’re treating their workers like this. They’re treating the people that they call partners like this. And until they see that enough is enough and customers are saying that to them, they’re going to continue with this behavior. So we need all the public support we can get to to say that this is unacceptable and it has to stop.
Jaz Brisack [00:53:50] In the beginning of the Black Lives Matter protest, Starbucks told partners, You know no to wearing Black Lives Matter masks or pens or anything. And partners tried to protest and didn’t get very far. Then customers stepped in, and suddenly the policy was changed. We already know that Starbucks is writing in their shareholder letters that union busting could hurt their image and be bad for business. We just need more customers to tell them that it is.
Michael Moore [00:54:18] If you try that number yet?
Casey Moore [00:54:20] Yes. So you actually do get a person. You do. Yeah. I don’t think that. I think they they have a company that probably runs it, but you do get to talk to a person.
Michael Moore [00:54:33] OK, let’s give that number again, Donald. Have you tried it yet?
Donald Borenstein [00:54:36] I haven’t tried it yet. Could even have you dial it yourself? You want the number for Starbucks customer service is one 800, OK?
Michael Moore [00:54:42] 800 seven eight two seven eight two
Donald Borenstein [00:54:46] seven two eight two
Michael Moore [00:54:48] seven two eight two. All right, we’re going to see if we can get Starbucks headquarters. We’re going to make sure we get the right number and get them on the phone. So while our our crack engineering team is setting this up, we had that plan to do this. So we’re just we’re just going to do this on the fly.
Starbucks Customer Service [00:55:09] Welcome and thank you for calling Starbucks Coffee Company. We are here to help Dr. Neil suffer. Yes, we do.
Michael Moore [00:55:17] Oh, we we we saw this.
Starbucks Customer Service [00:55:20] If you are calling about a Starbucks card or Starbucks rewards program. Press one for questions or feedback about one of our stores, our products or our company. Press two to repeat this menu. Brant Stop. If you would like to chat with us online, press one now and we’ll text you a link. Message and data rates may apply. Otherwise, please stay on the line. OK.
Michael Moore [00:55:43] I talked to a person.
Starbucks Customer Service [00:55:45] This call may be recorded for quality purposes. Please hold while we transfer you to the next available representative,
Michael Moore [00:55:50] it is being recorded.
Starbucks Customer Service [00:55:52] Did you know the.
Starbucks Customer Service Rep [00:55:56] Can I help you?
Michael Moore [00:55:57] Oh, yes, hi. What is your name? Hello. My name is, you know, Donald, we have to cut his name out. I I don’t know if I’m more worried about the the Nicaraguan government or the government of Starbucks Inc., but let’s just not get him in any trouble. Where are you at?
Starbucks Customer Service [00:56:21] Where we are located?
Michael Moore [00:56:23] Yeah, where are you located
Starbucks Customer Service [00:56:25] in Central America
Michael Moore [00:56:26] In Guatemala?
Starbucks Customer Service [00:56:30] No, Nicaragua,
Michael Moore [00:56:31] well, Nicaragua. Oh, I been there. It’s a beautiful country. Listen, the reason I’m calling is I’d like to have you give a message to the corporate executives at Starbucks, and my name is Michael Moore Mowery. And I would like to tell them that I as a customer because of the oatmeal. I want Starbucks to support its workers who want to start a union. Unions are great things. They built this country. They gave us the middle class and and I and I just I’ve been reading about Starbucks workers organizing unions. And I really, I want to say as a Starbucks customer, how much I am in support of that and I’m against any business that tries to stop its workers in this case, its partners from forming a union. Did you get all that?
Starbucks Customer Service [00:57:33] Absolutely. I can understand all your comments and limit right now and make a report to share with their specialist in your situation and your comments about this specific situation that is going there and about the rights of the different employees that we have. You know that they have the right to do it and absolutely that we are going to be here to help them and to support them and at the same time, to get all the feedback that we need to get in order to understand how do you feel about it? So that way, they may share their feedback right now. Okay?
Michael Moore [00:58:08] I would be so appreciative of you. If you did, that would mean a lot to me. And I’m telling you, I know it’ll mean a lot to thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people go to Starbucks every day and and who want to support the workers in their rights to form a union.
Starbucks Customer Service [00:58:25] Excellent. So let me tell you that we have like a phone number for a corporation office. So in that way, if you want to reach them, I can provide that information to you right now.
Michael Moore [00:58:34] Oh good, please. Thank you.
Starbucks Customer Service [00:58:36] Seattle corporate office phone number Nancy.
Michael Moore [00:58:40] You know, when I was growing up, Nicaragua had a dictator. His name was Somoza. Did you ever read about him in school?
Starbucks Customer Service [00:58:48] Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah. That is like a part of history of this country that many, many people know because it was so, so difficult, right? Different. Very different. Like, our legacy will go over here. Yes. After that, you know, to remove them from their power. Thank God. Yeah. Thank God. Absolutely, yes. You know, many people were suffering in that system that was against civil rights and and human rights, too. So. Absolutely. And I was no good. But right now, you know how could be different. But you know, we’re doing what we can do.
Michael Moore [00:59:30] There, do I know. I don’t want to get you in any trouble. You’re doing what you can do. I’ve been following it on the news. Just know that that as as an American, as part of a country, sadly, that supported the old dictator many, many years ago, that I’m a big believer in leaving other countries alone to sort out their own political issues and and not not have the United States invading or doing whatever. You know, we’ve we’ve done for many, many years. So good luck with all of that. And you know, I wish the best for you and the people of Nicaragua. I really enjoyed my time there.
Starbucks Customer Service [01:00:10] Thank you so much. Absolutely. I really appreciate your words. And let me tell you that, yeah, from all the mistakes that we made, we learned. So I think that right now we are ready to start a new thing and trying to do all the things better. I hope that it is going to happen and that we can have a better future. So, you know, this is something that we have to learn in the way as you learn, as us, as a citizen of the United States. I know a little bit about your history and I really know all the different period of time where you had to suffer many things. And you were you have been fighting for many reasons to do so and you have been unable to have like a big country in an amazing country right now. So these are some, you know?
Michael Moore [01:00:58] Right? No, I think most countries have. I mean, we had slavery, right? We wouldn’t we wouldn’t let women vote for almost a hundred and fifty years. So yes, we are. We all go through these things. And generally throughout history, I think good wins out over evil. So Nicaragua, I think, is probably already halfway there for having gotten rid of the dictator. And you’ll get. They’re in through Europe, what they’re going through now, so good luck with that and God bless and oh, by the way, I need that corporate number for Starbucks.
Starbucks Customer Service [01:01:38] Absolutely. I’ve been trying to get that phone number, so I was looking for it. So it just give me a moment. So do any. Yes, sir. Actually, I have the facts of this, of that corporate office. The phone number is here and only if it is going to work, if it are accurate and ready to. Here are six four four seven one five seven five
Michael Moore [01:02:02] two zero six four four seven one five seven five. And that is, is that a phone number or is that a fax number?
Starbucks Customer Service [01:02:09] And this is the phone number. Got it.
Michael Moore [01:02:11] Do you guys? So we saw faxes in Nicaragua. Have you ever been here? I have been to Nicaragua twice. Yes. Yes. Yeah, they are in the old intercontinental hotel. I stayed there and in downtown Managua and and then we drove up to Honduras. Then we and then we decided we wanted to see both the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean. So what you know, and because you live there, you can drive across the country in a lot less time than it takes to drive across the United States, the See the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean. So, yeah, no, no, it’s it’s wonderful and you have that and you have that beautiful country to the north of you, Costa Rica.
Starbucks Customer Service [01:02:56] And that’s true.
Michael Moore [01:02:58] So no, no. What wonderful country. Wonderful people. All right, my friend. Have a good night and pass on my concerns to Starbucks. Do the right thing.
Starbucks Customer Service [01:03:10] Absolutely, we
Michael Moore [01:03:12] will. All right. All right. Be well, my friend.
Starbucks Customer Service [01:03:15] This thing for you and have an amazing year too.
Michael Moore [01:03:17] OK. Oh yes, please. Let’s have a good one. We need it right now.
Starbucks Customer Service [01:03:22] Absolutely. Where all these things happening. But you know, we will be.
Michael Moore [01:03:26] We will be that. We will be good. Thank you, sir.
Starbucks Customer Service [01:03:29] Have a good night. You’re welcome. Thank you.
Michael Moore [01:03:32] Bye bye. Bye bye. Wow. You know, I wanted to ask him to just to describe for me in English what Venti meant.
Casey Moore [01:03:41] Yeah, I like.
Michael Moore [01:03:45] I know.
Casey Moore [01:03:46] Well, now we have the corporate number two, we didn’t have that before so,
Michael Moore [01:03:50] Well, we got the corporate number, so. So my friends who are listening to Rumble. We will publish both the 800 number that is listed, but we’re also going to publish the corporate number here on my on my rumble site so that you can call them and give them a serious phone call. Don’t think around like I was doing. Give them a serious phone call and tell them how often you go to Starbucks and how and how much you want them. In fact, you insist that they treat their workers, their partners well and and that they do not try to union bust and they support them that unions are a good thing. The reason they’re a good thing is is because families that grow up with union heads of household have it just so much better and are able to participate in the society we have and are able to afford a $7 a cup of coffee. I don’t know, is it really? I don’t know how much it is.
Casey Moore [01:04:54] It really it is that much.
Michael Moore [01:04:56] Oh, no, I made that up. OK, I guess I see I’m only going in for the oatmeal.
Casey Moore [01:05:01] For those of you who get the ice, try as I don’t know higher than they get pricey the like some sweet cream foam, some drizzle, you’re getting up there.
Michael Moore [01:05:11] How much if I get the drizzle on top of all that sweet chai business, what am I paying?
Casey Moore [01:05:18] If you get like an ice venti chai with like pump brown sugar, sweet cream foam and drizzle, that’s like a nine nine dollar drink,
Michael Moore [01:05:26] a $9 drink. Oh, Mr Schulz and board of directors of Starbucks, come on, you got to share the chai, you got to share the chai.
Jaz Brisack [01:05:38] The other thing about calling corporate is we know that there’s folks at all levels of this company that are supportive, including its headquarters. So, you know, I guess. Just to make the point, the company is union busting that if you’re calling them, there might be some friends there, so.
Michael Moore [01:06:01] Yes, well. For instance, the man I just spoke to in Central America working for Starbucks. I didn’t use the words human rights. He did. In describing your situation? You know. Yeah. I mean, just think about that. You’re right, there are there are people in all companies. That feel the way we feel and just wish that they hope that they’re not alone and they aren’t alone. And that’s a very good point, you just made and so. So treat the people you’re calling at Starbucks with with respect, but be firm in terms of your feelings and on how you are not going to be going to Starbucks if this is the situation in terms of how the workers are treated. And I will have on my podcast, on my platform page here. If you don’t want to call, I’ll have the phone numbers if you don’t want to call. We’ll have the email address where you can write to Starbucks. That’s a that’s a good and easy thing for all of us to do. And if we have 150000 people listening to this over the next weeks or days or whatever. Man, that’s a lot of communication with the people who run Starbucks to let them know how we feel about this. So thank you for suggesting that idea. I hope it didn’t get you in any trouble, but I think you’re actually already in enough trouble already.
Casey Moore [01:07:33] Just good trouble. Yeah, good trouble makers and
Michael Moore [01:07:36] good trouble makers. If you’re in college, maybe don’t drop out yet.
Jaz Brisack [01:07:41] We graduated. We’re good.
Casey Moore [01:07:43] Oh, you’re really great.
Michael Moore [01:07:44] You’ve got a degree. OK? No problem. But seriously, this has been great. Is there any final words you want to say anything, maybe that we didn’t cover to the people who were listening? The microphone is yours.
Casey Moore [01:07:58] The point is that everybody deserves the right to organize and to have a seat at the table. And you know, Starbucks has a metaphorical seat at their boardroom table where they say they consider the voices of workers at partners, as we’re called. But then why is it empty? And that’s what we’re doing is trying to fill that seat at the table. And we’re just trying to make it a better place and a better place to work. At the end of the day,
Michael Moore [01:08:26] just so I understand the board, when they meet Starbucks, they have an empty seat at the table and that is to represent the workers partners
Casey Moore [01:08:37] of Starbucks. Yes. Wow.
Jaz Brisack [01:08:41] And they had a vote in the past year to try to get an actual barista in that seat. And the board of directors urged shareholders to vote that down so it did not pass, which says a lot.
Michael Moore [01:08:56] Wow. Do you know that like there are a number of countries where up to half of the board has to be elected by the workers partners of the company? Did you know that in Germany, for instance, I think it’s 50-50 there. Some countries it’s 51, 49, you know, 50 one in favor of the owners. Yeah. But nonetheless, it is the law of the land in many progressive countries that the workers are very much represented, not token real representation on the board of directors. She put that into the request to make it to make that one event.
Casey Moore [01:09:35] Yeah. And put some drizzle on it on it.
Michael Moore [01:09:41] Damn. Nine dollars for the drizzle. And did you say a pump, a brown sugar
Jaz Brisack [01:09:46] and the sweet cream foam, which is definitely the, you know, how many blenders does it take to make a drink? Sometimes I think I should have a competition.
Michael Moore [01:09:55] Right? Wow. OK, so listen, we’re all going to do our best to support you and keep doing what you’re doing. Keep us informed. I’ll be talking about it. I’ll be posting about it. People around the country, when you hear that the local Starbucks workers are trying to organize or go in there and support the hell out of them and let the manager and the people there know how much you want this Starbucks. I want union. I want union coffee in my hands. I want a Union Frappuccino. I’ve never seen, I’ve never seen a Union Frappuccino.
Jaz Brisack [01:10:33] You come to Buffalo will make you one. Yeah.
Michael Moore [01:10:35] Oh, I’m putting that one down on my neck and my when I see my, I’ve already got my meant. When I’m, when I’m when I’m allowed to drive back to Michigan, I’m going to go up through upstate New York. I’m going to cry. What’s the the peace bridge? Is that it? Yep.
Jaz Brisack [01:10:50] Five blocks from my
Michael Moore [01:10:51] house that goes across the Niagara River there into Ontario. And then you just stay on that road. And that’s how I get to Flint. You know, you just go. Don’t go down toward Detroit. You just stick over to Sarnia and in Port Huron, and I’m home and on the way there. I’m going to stop into a union Starbucks and have a Union Frappuccino.
Casey Moore [01:11:13] Hell yeah.
Michael Moore [01:11:15] Oh man, this is this is. I will bring my camera for this one. We’ll have a we’ll make a little short out of it.
Jaz Brisack [01:11:21] Sounds amazing.
Casey Moore [01:11:23] Visit our friend Howard Schultz,
Michael Moore [01:11:24] and then we’ll visit Howard Schultz. And by the way, too, we have to do the taste test. So there’ll be one Frappuccino. It’s Union and another Frappuccino that isn’t union. And then I have to guess which one was union made,
Casey Moore [01:11:39] you know
Casey Moore [01:11:39] what they say? Happy workers. Happy Frappuccinos.
Casey Moore [01:11:43] They say, that’s what I say.
Michael Moore [01:11:46] Oh my God, we have been talking to Jazz Barisic and to Casey Moore. No relation. Both of them workers partners at the Starbucks, up in the Buffalo and Buffalo area and organizers. Organizers of the first two union Starbucks opened up in that neck of the woods. And more to come. Thank you, both of you, jazz Casey, for what you’ve done and for being here on Rumble.
Jaz Brisack [01:12:14] Thank you so much for having us.
Casey Moore [01:12:16] Thank you so much. This has been great.
Michael Moore [01:12:18] OK, my friends, keep at it and please know you can always contact me for any support. I’ve got your back, as do hundreds and hundreds of thousands of others. Thank you for this.
Jaz Brisack [01:12:31] Thank you. We’re going to take you up on that.
Michael Moore [01:12:32] Oh, I hope you do. I’m disappointed if you don’t. Union Frappuccino [vs] Non-union Frappuccino.
Michael Moore [01:12:41] We want to get to the place where there are no such things as nonunion frappuccinos. It’s it’s a Frappuccino. That’s the new slogan. If it’s a Frappuccino, it’s union
Casey Moore [01:12:53] Rhat can be Starbucks’ new slogan, we just did their whole PR marketing.
Michael Moore [01:12:58] Yes, for free!
Michael Moore [01:13:00] The people are going to be coming through those doors. They should. This is what I do that, you know, the you know, like I said, my uncle was in the auto workers fight to form the union. It took a decade or two. But finally, General Motors and Ford, they realized, Oh my God, you know what, if we pay these workers partners a really good wage? You know what they’re going to do with that money? Buy a car. And that’s what happened. A middle class was created and they all became filthy rich because they paid their workers what they should be paying them. That’s I still, to this day, I don’t understand when heads of companies don’t get that basic math. So there we go. We’re done. We’re out of here. Thank you. Let’s hear for Buffalo, my friends. Buffalo, New York and the great Starbucks Workers United all across the country. It’s going to happen. Bless you.
Michael Moore [01:13:57] Well, thanks again to Jaz and Casey for joining me. And I offer my solidarity to their efforts in their fight for fair pay and representation and to all people who are trying to form a union who don’t want to go back to the old normal. Who who want to be paid a living wage and be protected and the things that a union can do for you. All of you listening to this. Let’s take great inspiration from what they’ve done up in Buffalo, at the Starbucks. And if you’re out there working a job right now where you know that you aren’t being treated fairly. Remember, you can do this too. It starts by talking with your coworkers, though you know, not in front of your boss, but you get my chest right. And if you want some advice or some help, they’ll be on the podcast platform page here, a place where you can go to to talk to union organizers that can answer your questions and help you perhaps form a union at your workplace.
Michael Moore [01:15:07] My thanks here today on Rumble to our executive producer, Basel Hamdan, our editor and sound engineer Nick Kwas, our Jack of all trades and our human test subject for the limits of caffeine — appropriate for today’s episode — the Donald Borenstein and everyone who has helped us put this podcast together into all of you for tuning in. Much appreciated.
Michael Moore [01:15:31] Everybody take care, be well, and we’ll talk soon here on Rumble with Michael Moore. I’m Michael Moore.