Starbucks sees biggest ever employee walkout on its busiest day of the year – National & International News – THU 16Nov2023

Starbucks sees biggest ever employee walkout on its busiest day of the year.

NY Rep. Santos faces renewed calls for expulsion after damning House Ethics report.

NATIONAL NEWS

Starbucks sees biggest ever employee walkout on its busiest day of the year

Over 200 Starbucks stores across the country staged a one-day walkout today on Red Cup day, typically the chain’s busiest day of the year. During this annual promotion, customers flock to stores to receive a free reusable holiday-themed cup with a purchase. Workers say Starbucks remains chronically understaffed, particularly on Red Cup day when their workload can increase by 40% compared to a typical day. Baristas also say they have no way to manage or control their workflow since Starbucks won’t allow them to shut off mobile and online ordering on Red Cup day.

The stores going on strike today have joined Starbucks Workers United, a union representing employees at over 360 stores across the US. Today’s planned action is also a protest against Starbucks’ continued campaign of union busting and its refusal to bargain with the union. Despite the number of stores with recognized unions, not a single one has been able to reach a contract. Meanwhile, Starbucks continues to violate US labor laws by firing workers for attempting to organize their workplaces, and offering increased pay and other benefits only to non-union employees. 

The National Labor Relations Board have issued over 100 complaints against Starbucks for unfair labor practices, including refusal to bargain. Despite the complaints and court rulings, companies like Starbucks and Amazon continue to engage in blatant and illegal union-busting tactics. The NLRB recently ruled that when a majority of workers sign a union card and the company engages in violations that would taint a potential union vote, the union will be automatically recognized.

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NY Rep. Santos faces renewed calls for expulsion after damning House Ethics report

Rep. George Santos (R-NY) announced today that he will not seek re-election in 2024, just hours after the House Ethics Committee issued a scathing report after a months-long probe into allegations of misconduct by the freshman congressman. Santos did say, however, that he would not resign and would serve out his full term.

Santos has earned a reputation as a habitual liar and fraudster. After he won his seat in 2020, it came to light that Santos had lied repeatedly and brazenly about his education, business experience and even his family background. A picture has since emerged of a career conman who used various aliases to defraud vulnerable people, including a veteran who had raised funds for a life-saving surgery for his service dog.  

Santos also faces numerous federal charges related to campaign finance violations, identity theft, money laundering and theft of public funds. He has pleaded not guilty and is set to go to trial next September. The House Ethics Committee, controlled by fellow Republicans, uncovered further misconduct and have referred their allegations to the Department of Justice.

The committee found that Santos “blatantly stole from his campaign. He deceived donors into providing what they thought were contributions to his campaign but were in fact payments for his personal benefit. He reported fictitious loans to his political committees to induce donors and party committees to make further contributions to his campaign—and then diverted more campaign money to himself as purported ‘repayments’ of those fictitious loans”. The committee discovered that Santos had misappropriated thousands of dollars in campaign funds for things like spa treatments, luxury shopping sprees, lavish getaways in the Hamptons, and online porn consumption. 

Renewed calls for expulsion vote

Santos survived an expulsion vote in the House earlier this month, which was brought by his fellow New York Republicans. In that vote, even Democrats voted against expelling Santos, saying it would set a dangerous precedent since he hasn’t yet been convicted of misconduct. However, many Republicans and Democrats who previously voted against expelling Santos have said they would vote differently following the release of the committee’s report.

Ethics Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS) will file a new resolution to expel Santos from Congress tomorrow morning, according to a spokesman. Democratic congressmen Dan Goldman of New York and Robert Garcia of California say will file their own resolutions.

Fellow New York Republican Mike Lawler says, “George Santos should end this farce and resign immediately. If he refuses, he must be removed from Congress. His conduct is not only unbecoming and embarrassing, it is criminal”.

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