It's amazing how everyone feels so deserving.

Your article and reader comments thereof regarding the Starbucks Union strike was brought to my attention by coworkers. The final sentence had us bewildered and as the employees of the East 9th Street store the story spread like wildfire. We all wanted to hear the story from the source - one of us! Bottom line, it didn't happen, great story albeit imaginary. But, get a reaction you did as plenty of readers had comments regarding the baristas, unions, our coffee verses McDonalds, the tip jar, etc.

I don't really have a comment about the Union. Frankly, a lot of us don't even know about it and I am reticent to open my mouth and speak of something I do not know- perhaps something some of those that responded to the article might try. My initial instinct is to be equally as rude and boorish as the readers who commented on the aspects of a job the likes of which they obviously never had nor used half a brain cell to imagine actually doing. Are you truly insulted by a tip jar because the coffee is so expensive? You must be one of those customers that comes in and informs us that they think the names of the coffee's are stupid and will refuse to say the word "Venti." "I'll have a large coffee," you say smugly. Doesn't bother me, I didn't make it up and your ostrich-head-in-the-sand delinquency thinking that your proving some sort of point to me is mistaken. Your voice didn't protrude the bubble I surrounded myself with when you presented yourself as a customer that needs to be placated and coddled and in the end will put the 11 cents back in your pocket despite the fact that I gave you cheerful service, tried to keep the lobby around you clean, keep your milk chilled, bathroom clean, coffee fresh, and am being paid next to minimum wage to do so. I'm not going to start in about a defense on our prices, I have as much control over them as you do, but give us, the people who pour your coffee a break - for crying out loud - we probably can't afford it ourselves.

Times are rough for everyone - it's a simple fact that is at the point of being over-said to redundancy. While more is expected of us from both our superiors and our customers, labor is being cut and at times it feels we are barely keeping our heads above water as we struggle to do our best. It's unfortunate that some customers have experienced baristas that don't give adequate service. As one who does, and as one with chapped hands from cleaning your tables when you leave a crumby mess, one who knows precisely where the haz-mat number is when we find needles in the bathroom or feces on the floor, one who walks to work at 4:30 in the morning so you can have your hot cup of coffee and has to face hundreds of un-caffeinated people who are at their worst but have come to expect a smile from me, one who has had hot coffee thrown at me and bums scream in my face, I ask you to be more understanding of what I do. It may really cork you that I get health insurance despite being part-time, it might annoy you that I call your "small" a "tall," you may hate the taste of Pike Place Roast, but give me a break - put on the apron for a day and try to do my job, the fact that you are so intolerant makes me doubt you have it in you, after all you'd have to face people just like you.

Wow did you have a triple espresso before typing that post? No but seriously you should win an award for best drama; you had me in tears...

Cry me a river. It's your job, get over it. I'm sure a lot of other people out there would love to have it, if you're that unhappy.

I'm pretty sure the OP wasn't saying that they were unhappy. I took their post as saying "here's some perspective for you to consider before ignorantly bashing Starbucks baristas, you assholes." Sure, if you go to some stores people will be slacking off, being surly, etc. That's because those stores are poorly managed and the company hired the wrong people. Like that never happens at ANY other restaurant, coffee shop, or branch of a national chain.

When I heard about the Starbucks union, I wasn't sure why anyone would feel they needed to join it. Considering that our store has just laid off half its staff for "not having the right availability," however - a decision that had nothing to do with their performance - I can see why. On the other hand, the company's going off the rails and losing tons of money. There have been massive cutbacks in almost every aspect of how the store runs. What are they supposed to do?

In this case: we can't judge the dismissal of the specific barista since we don't know what happened. Maybe management is right and she slacked off. Maybe she was punctual and it's all bullshit. We have no idea.

Well, according to a sworn deposition, the incident at the East 9th Street Starbucks did happen.

Starbucks coffee is good... better made at home.

Do we really need Unions for Coffee servers?

They get a good package already for what they do.

You deadbeat Americans are unbelievable; now your coffee-pourers want to unionize so they can get paid $53.50 + benefits for serving lattes.

You are soooooo BROKE.

At least most of the American coffee drinkers don't beat their wives before they get their first morning fix. Can that be said about your camel driving towel headed relatives?

You are really having a winning day if you can get the workers at the Sheridan Square branch to take your order rather than joke around with the gay Hispanic teenagers that seem to live there. Last time I was in there, the teenagers were putting on a fashion show and nobody behind the counter was working.

I always laugh at the douches who sit in Starbucks for quite an amount of time with their laptops (Gotta be Mac!) pretending to be "writing" a screenplay/novel/short story.

Yeah those people who sit there, drink coffee and don't bother anyone, total douche bags. Oh and they always use their Macs haha, I just HAVE to laugh at them because of their choice of computer HAHAHA.

If they have an arty handbound notebook from Kate's Paperie, then they're journaling.

I really hate the word "barista."

seconded...

thirded

Where is that dude that started a petition for the starbucks bellow his place not to close...seems like something he should be involved in....

Starbucks coffee is just awful. The customer service is atrocious at best. The really busy ones, the ones with bewildered tourists, bums and trolls setting up shop for the day on their laptops, have 11 "workers" standing around, giggling and not doing what they are there for-pouring a fucking cup of overpriced coffee... Fuck them, their unions and their god awful coffee

One good outcome of the current economic situation...

Less Starbucks Stores

Fewer. But, yeah, I wouldn't mourn the closing of either (or both) Starbucks within a block from my office. Maybe Monster.com can open another job fair outpost in the empty storefront.