Quinn Craig started their day on June 23 eating cake with coworkers to celebrate the one-year anniversary of their Starbucks store’s union certification. By the end of the day, Craig was no longer an employee at the Starbucks on 410 and Vance Jackson.
A Starbucks spokesperson said Craig was “separated” from the company for the alleged failure to turn on store security and properly store cash during a walkout over health and safety issues last month.
Craig, who uses the they/them/their pronouns, said they left cash in the registers during the May 24 walkout because the manager they called to ask for closing instructions hung up without offering any. Craig also said they were “99% sure,” as was their coworker, that they had activated the store’s security system before leaving.
But Craig said their firing, and its conspicuous timing, is part of a broader effort to weaken the union at their store.
“It’s no secret that if you have not negotiated a contract within a one-year period of being certified that the bargaining unit is able to file a decertification petition,” they said. “So we were very much anticipating, in the lead up to our one-year anniversary, that Starbucks was going to try to push as many of us out as they could.”
Just like bargaining units often vote to certify their union with a majority, a majority vote can also eliminate the union. Craig said they believe the company is setting the stage for such a vote at their store, which was the first in Texas to file a union petition.
“Starbucks has pushed out worker leaders like Gaz Garcia, Angel Caro, Miranda Cuellar, and of course now myself,” they said. “It is very telling that the company has managed to get rid of four worker organizers in a 40-day period.”
A Starbucks spokesperson said none of its actions were related to union activity or intended to weaken the union.
Craig and Cuellar were separated by the company, but Garcia’s and Caro’s voluntary resignations came after what workers said was a sustained effort to slash their hours and create a hostile work environment.
Cuellar was separated in early June after management said she violated the company’s policy against threats of violence. In a group text thread with coworkers, Cuellar said a manager needed to be “curb stomped” for what she said were unsafe conditions at the store.
Cuellar said the comment came out of a moment of frustration and wasn’t a true threat of violence.
“In the industry it’s often joked about, angry comments like that. It’s nothing really serious when you’re joking with your coworkers like, ‘oh, hey, I’m gonna beat you up,’ and stuff like that,” Cuellar said.
But Cuellar said she was singled out for her comment because of her union advocacy and her identity as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Caro, who resigned earlier this month, said she was on a track to become a manager until she got involved with the union.
“I was promised the promotion around this time of the year [last year], and right after we won our union election, all of those promises kind of got dropped,” she said.
Caro said not only were conversations about the promotion dropped, but that her hours were steadily slashed. Eventually, she had to get a second job, which affected her availability.
“All of the sudden they just couldn’t work with me anymore,” she said.
That led to an official demotion, which led Caro to leave the company.
Garcia, who resigned in May, could not be reached for comment. Craig said Garcia decided to leave after having his hours cut to such an extent that he fell out of eligibility for the benefits Starbucks often touts — healthcare and tuition support key among them.
Craig’s organizing went beyond the 410 and Vance Jackson Starbucks location. Seiya Wayment, the lead organizer at the E. Houston and St. Mary’s Starbucks store, said Craig was central to organizing the downtown store.
“Quinn’s been the leader in the region for a long time,” Wayment said. “When I first reached out to Workers United [the union Starbucks workers are affiliated with], they put me in touch with Quinn.”
Parker Davis, a union leader at the Starbucks store on Wurzbach and Blanco, shared a similar story.
“[The] 410 and Vance Jackson [store] has been instrumentally helpful, along with Quinn, from when I was first starting out as an organizer,” Davis said.
Despite being fired last week, Craig said they’re not giving up on organizing.
“I currently have an internship with Workers United that I had planned on having for the duration of the summer,” they said. “I want this to be a moment where, thanks to Starbucks firing me, I now have more time than ever to invest in this movement.”
Craig is seeking reinstatement by the National Labor Relations Board, and the union has filed unfair labor practice complaints against Starbucks over alleged actions the company took against all four workers.
In the meantime, Craig asked for support for themselfand Caro on GoFundMe, as they both try to get back on their feet.
