ATLANTA — Labor leaders in Georgia think they are building momentum to unionize businesses. At the same time, they said the odds are stacked against them. Sunday, a unionized Starbucks store in northwest Atlanta closed because of a one-day strike by baristas.
The scene outside the Starbucks store was upbeat because the store’s striking baristas had enough clout to close the store. The question is whether they can actually get the store to take the union seriously.
"That’s one of the tactics that companies use, is to refuse to bargain in good faith," said Charlie Flemming, president of the Georgia AFL-CIO. "The problem is at the national level, the penalties for not bargaining is basically nonexistent."
Flemming said union membership has grown with Georgia’s population – especially in industries like film and construction. But unions have faced years of hostility in Georgia – from old-school automobile manufacturers such as Kia Motors, as well as newer industries like Amazon.
"They're saying 'these workers are essential. We can’t live without you.' Yet they don’t want to pay you and they don’t want to treat you with any respect. Workers have just had enough," Flemming said.
Workers said the Starbucks store voted overwhelmingly in June to unionize.
"We did it. We unionized. But we also demand to be heard and taken seriously," said Page Smith, a shift supervisor at the northwest Atlanta Starbucks.
Georgia’s Republicans politicians often boast about the state’s non-union business climate. But Flemming said he gets calls every week from workers who want to organize in spite of that.
"I think you're actually starting to see a change," he said.
Flemming said people are fed up that CEOs of big companies make millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars while workers have to find second jobs to pay their bills.