A Starbucks coffee shop in Buffalo, New York, became the first in the nation to unionize — placing pressure on a national chain already beleaguered by labor shortages.
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/09/business/economy/buffalo-starbucks-union.html">The New York Times</a> reported:
<blockquote>Workers at one Buffalo-area Starbucks store have voted to form a union, according to results announced by the National Labor Relations Board on Thursday. Workers at a second store in the area voted against unionizing, according to the board, though a union lawyer contended that some ballots had been delivered to the agency and not counted. The union was leading in an election at a third store, but by a margin smaller than the number of ballots that were being challenged by the union. The challenges must be resolved by the agency’s regional director in the coming days or weeks before there is a result.</blockquote>
Over the past several months, the unionization efforts have given headaches to company leadership:
<blockquote>Starbucks responded to the union campaign with a sense of urgency. Throughout the fall, out-of-town managers and executives — even the company’s president of retail for North America — converged on stores in Buffalo, where they questioned employees about operational challenges and assisted in menial tasks like cleaning bathrooms…
Several workers who support the union said they found the presence of these officials intimidating and, at times, surreal. They also complained that Starbucks had temporarily closed certain stores in the area, which they found disruptive, and said Starbucks had excessively added staff in at least one of the three stores that held elections. The workers said this had diluted support for unionization at the store.</blockquote>
Many of the workers who voted in favor of unionization cited understaffing and poor training — a problem affecting virtually every labor-intensive industry in the United States. The Department of Labor’s most recent Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), which analyzes data from October, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/there-are-now-3-6-million-more-jobs-than-people-willing-to-take-them">revealed</a> that there are over 11 million job openings in the United States — exceeding the number of people actively searching for work by 3.6 million.
To circumvent the persistent labor shortages, Starbucks recently began <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/starbucks-partners-with-amazon-to-open-cashier-less-coffee-shop-as-labor-shortage-continues">testing</a> a cashier-less coffee shop in Manhattan enabled by Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology.
“We designed this experience to fit people’s needs as they go about their day,” explained Amazon physical retail vice president Dilip Kumar. “Sometimes you’re in a hurry, some days you have more time.”
McDonald’s is likewise <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mcdonalds-partners-with-ibm-to-automate-drive-thrus-as-labor-shortages-persist">developing</a> cashier-less stores. The fast-food giant partnered with IBM to automate its restaurants via artificial intelligence that can understand spoken drive-thru orders.
“In my mind, IBM is the ideal partner for McDonald’s given their expertise in building AI-powered customer care solutions and voice recognition,” McDonald’s chief executive Chris Kempczinski said during a recent earnings call.
Many point to federal stimulus programs as a contributing factor to low labor market participation. In an August interview with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-bidenomics-issues-every-american-should-know-about-kevin-brady-on-unemployment-taxes-and-inflation?al_applink_data=%7B%22target_url%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fwww.dailywire.com%5C%2Fnews%5C%2Fthe-bidenomics-issues-every-american-should-know-about-kevin-brady-on-unemployment-taxes-and-inflation%3Futm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dbenshapiro%26fbclid%3DIwAR0Sa-er6T2DegajAR3H8AnAVVQICMSDxgOQqqCSBTcdD9zKIqUymTRvJ-g%22%2C%22extras%22%3A%5B%5D%2C%22referer_app_link%22%3A%7B%22url%22%3A%22fb%3A%5C%2F%5C%2F%5C%2F%22%2C%22app_name%22%3A%22Facebook%22%7D%7D">The Daily Wire</a>, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) — the Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which is responsible for deliberating taxes and other fiscal policy measures — implicated the Child Tax Credits as one such program.
“For the first time, it is divorced from work. That’s not a requirement for getting it, and so you’re seeing this barrier begin to impact businesses starting last week,” Brady said. “I think the point here is that the federal government is sending a seemingly never-ending supply of checks, regardless of whether you work or not. You’re going to have economic problems, and that’s what we’re seeing.”

<script async src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script><div data-widget-host="revcontent" data-pub-id="165152" data-widget-id="290588"></div><script src="https://delivery.revcontent.com/165152/290588/widget.js"></script>

Starbucks Workers In Buffalo Unionize, Placing Executives On Edge Amid Labor Shortage

Bud Light Sales Continue To Plummet, May Soon Lose Status As Number-One Beer

‘Profoundly Christian’: Former Head Of Anglican Church Presses British Government To Endorse Assisted Suicide

Ben Shapiro Reacts To Debt Limit Deal, Hits Both Democrats And Republicans Over Spending Habits

‘The Chosen’ Defends Pride Flag Spotted On Set: ‘Let The Show Speak For Itself’

Chick-Fil-A Faces Backlash As Their Diversity Efforts Resurface, Other Woke Brands Take Beating

North Korea Sentenced Two-Year-Old To Life In Prison After Family Caught With Bible: State Department

News and Commentary

A video goes viral showing a baby being refused his mother by two gay "dads". This is just the tip of the iceberg, which is why we will have an important discussion today about surrogacy. 

Hour 1

The Matt Walsh Show

Ep. 1765 - This Video Is One Of The Worst Things I've Seen In A Long Time 

The Strait of Hormuz officially opens for business (kind of), the Pope makes “shocking” comments on immigration, and President Trump promises UFO disclosure at TPUSA. 


The Michael Knowles Show

Ep. 1956 -  Pope Leo's "SHOCKING" Immigration Comments EXPLAINED

A false miscreed has corrupted our leadership class.


The Andrew Klavan Show

Ep. 1275 - Dumb, Dumber and Progressive

President Trump announces a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, a murder-suicide involving former Democratic Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax shakes Virginia, and France and Britain hold a conference to secure the Strait of Hormuz – after the Iranian conflict ends. Get the facts first with Morning Wire.

- - -

Ep. 2738

- - -

Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3

- - -

Today's Sponsors:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text 'WIRE' to 83848 to learn more.

Pocket Hose - Text MORNING to 64000 to get a FREE pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of ANY size Copper Head hose. Message and data rates may apply.

Morning Wire

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26 [Member Exclusive]

A ceasefire goes into effect between Israel and Lebanon, a tragic murder-suicide rocks Virginia, and Dairy Queen deploys AI in the drive-thru. Get the facts first with Evening Wire.
- - -
Ep. 2737
- - -
Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3 
- - -
Today’s Sponsor:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text “WIRE” to 83848 to learn more.


Menu

— News and Commentary —

Starbucks Workers In Buffalo Unionize, Placing Executives On Edge Amid Labor Shortage