Industrial Workers of the World

Industrial Workers of the World - Grand Rapids General Membership Branch

616-881-5263

griww@iww.org, grandrapidsstarbucksunion@yahoo.com

PO Box 6629 Grand Rapids, MI 49516

The Industrial Workers of the World [1] is a labor union founded in 1905 by immigrants. The union has been active in Grand Rapids for over 20 years. The union advocates solidarity unionism [2] and the one big union [3] as the way to secure gains on the job today while building a "new society within the shell of the old." Anyone who makes less than $10/hour anywhere in Grand Rapids needs to contact the union and begin organizing at their job. In 2005 the Grand Rapids branch began an organizing drive of Starbucks. On the third anniversary of the founding of the Starbucks Workers Union [4] baristas at the Gaslight Village Starbucks announced their membership in the union [5]. Along with union membership, baristas announced they were filing Unfair Labor Practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board [6]. Starbucks eventually settled those charges [7] with the NLRB and vowed to end their anti-union intimidation. Instead of dissipating Starbucks anti-union discrimination increased. On MayDay 2008 baristas held a press conference [8] in front of the Starbucks in East Grand Rapids announcing the filing of the new Unfair Labor Practice charges.

Check out the Grand Rapids Starbucks Workers Union blog![9]

The GR SWU and the Spanish CNT (Confederacion Nacional del Trabajadores) announced a Global Day of Action against Starbucks for July 5th, 2008. [10]

In Grand Rapids there will be a pre-action at around 3:15 at the Starbucks in East Grand Rapids for those that would like to carpool to the major action.[11]

Grand Rapids Protest: 4pm July 5th Starbucks - 28th St. and East Beltline (M-37) Come out and Stand Up For Workers Rights and Against Globalization

Beltran Martinez (CNT-Sevilla) and Cole Dorsey (IWW-Grand Rapids) were interviewed by Pacifica Radio (KPFK) in Los Angeles about the Global Day of Action Against Starbucks[12]

Solidarity actions have taken place already in Wroclaw, Poland.[13]