Inside the latest push to unionize Starbucks workers

If you got your coffee from a Seattle Starbucks this morning, it may have been prepared by a unionized barista. 

At least 33 Starbucks in Washington have unions, including the cafe at the company’s headquarters in Sodo and the Reserve Roastery on Capitol Hill, according to The Seattle Times.

It’s the result of an organizing effort that began in 2021 in Buffalo, New York. Starbucks workers across that city kicked off a renewed push to unionize those coffee shops. 

Jaz Brisack was one of the lead organizers on that campaign. They began working with unions while they were a student at the University of Mississippi. Brisack is also the author of "Get on the Job and Organize: Standing Up for a Better Workplace and a Better World," which came out earlier this year. 

They stopped by the KUOW to talk about their book and why they think that if you have a job, you should have a union. 

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