Workers at Starbucks in New York are attempting – so far without success – to organize a union. And one of the major issues:

The worst problem that baristas suffer, some say, is the repetitive motion injuries because of the movements they make when making coffee.

Anthony Polenco, a barista at the Starbucks store at Madison Avenue, said he hurts constantly from working the espresso machine.

"I suffer from pains in my wrist all the time," said Polenco, who led the union drive with Gross. "Sometimes hot milk will splash on me. Some days I can't move my wrists." However, he said he has not filed a workers' compensation claim.

A former Starbucks manager on Long Island, who asked not to be named and who is pursuing a workers' comp claim against the company, had to undergo surgery for tendinitis.

Other issues include low wages ($7.75/hour and raises are paltry) and difficulty in getting benefits (You have to work more than 20 hours a week.)

Starbucks has a progressive image as a customer and worker-friendly company:

Three years ago, Starbucks had to pay $18 million to settle a class-action lawsuit from managers charging that the company wrongfully denied them overtime pay. This past June, two Starbucks managers from Boca Raton, Fla., filed a lawsuit against the company for similar reasons.

But even some industry analysts say that employee dissatisfaction could hurt Starbucks' image.

"Scandal can do real damage to companies with powerful brands," said Nancy Koehn, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. "Today's consumer not only wants to know about the company's product, but how it is run."

Despite several requests from Newsday, Starbucks spokeswoman Audrey Lincoff said Schultz and other executives were not available for comment. She also declined to make baristas available to talk on the record about conditions of their work. However, Lincoff did say Starbucks is "pro-partner." Starbucks refers to its employees as partners because they have the opportunity to buy equity in the company.

It’s an image that they are reluctant to lose, although it’s becoming increasingly tarnished:

Three years ago, Starbucks had to pay $18 million to settle a class-action lawsuit from managers charging that the company wrongfully denied them overtime pay. This past June, two Starbucks managers from Boca Raton, Fla., filed a lawsuit against the company for similar reasons.

But even some industry analysts say that employee dissatisfaction could hurt Starbucks' image.

"Scandal can do real damage to companies with powerful brands," said Nancy Koehn, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. "Today's consumer not only wants to know about the company's product, but how it is run."

Despite several requests from Newsday, Starbucks spokeswoman Audrey Lincoff said Schultz and other executives were not available for comment. She also declined to make baristas available to talk on the record about conditions of their work. However, Lincoff did say Starbucks is "pro-partner." Starbucks refers to its employees as partners because they have the opportunity to buy equity in the company.

Labels: Ergonomics