Workers will ask “If Schultz can’t take responsibility for the workers who built his wealth, how can he take responsibility for this country’s voters?”
WHEN: Thursday, Feb 21 2019
5-6 pm: Sign making party with youth activists and local supporters
6-7 pm: Rally and protest
WHERE: 3131 Olympic Blvd, Santa Monica, CA
On Thursday, February 21 the United Farm Workers and community allies including the Courage Campaign and UNITE HERE Local 11 will hold a rally outside Howard Schultz’s book promotion tour stop in Santa Monica. Farm workers will be asking: If Schultz can’t take responsibility for the workers who built his wealth, how can he take responsibility for this country’s voters?
Activist Jorge Monreal has traveled all the way from Washington State. Jorge is the child of dairy workers who has witnessed firsthand the effects labor abuses within the Starbucks supply chain. Also attending the protest will be Jorge’s mother Maria Gonzalez, who won an EEOC claim after enduring sexual abuse and retaliation while working on a dairy farm in rural Washington state.
“Starbucks claims that their mission is to inspire and nurture the human spirit,” says Jorge. “I’m going to call Starbucks out on that – because they aren’t really living up to that value. I don’t know how their CEO and shareholder can lead a country if he can’t lead a company to live up to its value.”
Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks and one of the largest shareholders, has publicly explored the idea of running for President in the 2020 election, as an independent. With little defined policy and facing huge public backlash from the public, Schultz has struggled to defend his potential candidacy as an independent.
UFW has targeted Schultz’s failure as former Starbucks CEO (and current major shareholder) to act on labor abuses within the Starbucks supply chain. Starbucks is a major buyer of milk from Darigold member dairies. These workers, employed on Darigold member dairies in the Pacific Northwest, have faced sexual harassment, violations of the law, and long hours with no rest or meal breaks. To make matters worse, many of these workers have been retaliated against for speaking out, have lost their jobs and been sued for complaining about not receiving legally mandated breaks.
Youth activists, including several who will be voting for the first time in the 2020 elections, will be meeting for a sign-making party before the protest begins.
For more context on Darigold, a major supplier to Starbucks, visit darigold.ufw.org