Starbucks workers host Labor Day rally at Okla Capitol in OKC

OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — Supporters of local labor organizing efforts held a Labor Day rally on the steps of the Oklahoma Capitol Monday. The rally was hosted by local activists with Starbucks Workers United, and included various local organizations and politicians.

Victor Gorin, retired from AT&T and a long-term union activist, was helping register people to vote and there to support recent efforts of a new union movement. Gorin told Free Press, “I remember how good my job was at 18, and then I had far better wages and benefits and job security than I would have had otherwise. I want these people to have the same, and I understand their struggle.”

Labor Day rally
Although the heat from the middle of the day began to wear on some, the crowd still showed their support for Starbucks workers who are trying to gain union recognition and representation. (BRETT DICKERSON/Okla City Free Press)

Democrat and Oklahoma House representative (HD-88) Mauree Turner was at the event, and they said that this rally is “one way to kind of celebrate all the work that folks have already been doing right and then also to continue to pay homage to all the movements that have come before us.”

Also in attendance was JoBeth Hamon, Oklahoma City Councilwoman representing Ward 6. She is a supporter of the local labor movement that has been developing the last couple of years. “I want to make sure that they feel empowered to ask for what they deserve, so they have bargaining units and can fight for the things that they need, like livable wages, time off, good benefits”, she told us.

Labor Day Rally
Oklahoma City Ward 6 Councilwoman JoBeth Hamon speaks to the Starbucks Workers United Labor Day rally at the Oklahoma State Capitol. (BRETT DICKERSON/Okla City Free Press)

When asked why they were rallying at the Capitol, Collin Pollitt, one of the regional organizers for Starbucks Workers United, said, “This is a day of empowerment for all workers.” He’s fighting for “workplace democracy, and a living wage”, and for Starbucks to truly become a progressive company. 

When asked about how labor issues from the past are still relevant today, Pollitt said, “The bosses of those days would say similar things. They would say they just want to have a direct relationship with you. Your voice matters, but you can’t individually go to your boss and ask for a pay raise.” 

Labor Day
Three Starbucks baristas from the NW 23rd St. store and activists in the Starbucks Workers United speak to the media at the Labor Day rally, 2022. They are L-R: Collin Pollitt, J.T. Schoolcraft, and Kat Hudgins. (B. DICKERSON/Okla City Free Press)

Pollitt continued, “But what’s really not fair is how they’ve been treating us when we started filing to unionize.” He said that management threatened partners if they put up union literature and could be subject to “corrective action”. Starbucks also threatened to take away “ASU benefits” which is an online college program for Starbucks.

‘Undeniable’

Mauree Turner was the first to speak to the whole crowd. Their first job out of college was with the American Civil Liberties Union, said Turner. And, their job before that was with the Council on American Islamic Relations and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. “Civil rights and liberties are my passion, and I wouldn’t be here with all of you without people like you”, Turner explained. 

Labor Day rally
Oklahoma Rep. Mauree Turner, HD-88, speaks to the Starbucks Workers United rally Labor Day, 2022 (B. DICKERSON/Okla City Free Press)

“We do a lot of work that is emotionally taxing, and I appreciate rallies because it gives us a time to come together and celebrate one another, and to envision and reimagine a better future and to create a game plan to build it,” Turner said to applause. “I’m so honored to be able to be here and build a better Oklahoma with you every day, no matter if I’m a representative or in the streets with you. I understand that we have a community to fall back in and fall back on. No matter what happens here, the groundswell for organizing and unionizing here in Oklahoma is big and it’s undeniable.”

‘The time is now’

The next speaker was Ward 2 OKC city councilman James Cooper. He said, “The time is now for us who care about the various communities which call Oklahoma City home.”

Labor Day rally
Oklahoma City Ward 2 City Councilman James Cooper Sept. 5, 2022. (BRETT DICKERSON/Okla City Free Press)

“Because you voted for JoBeth [Hamon] and for me, we were able on our city council, starting in 2019, to ensure the following,” continued Cooper. “One, we made sure that every neighborhood park to the best of our ability over the next decade of our lives will have 63 million dollars to go toward park improvements. We also made sure that 32 million dollars is going toward the beautification of our city. That’s coming and that means that on-ramps and off-ramps like over here at I-235 and 23rd Street…we can beautify that.”

‘Give unions a hand’

Nick Singer, candidate for Oklahoma County Assessor, came to speak. He said, “Affordable housing is a big problem and something that the government has to do something about. The fight for good wages, workplace benefits, work conditions is so critical to the housing crisis, because right now you cannot afford a house on a minimum wage job.”

The final speaker was Lt. Governor candidate Melinda Alizadeh-Fard. She drove home the historic anchor of past union work by saying, “We wouldn’t have this day off if it wasn’t for unions. If you’re here because you have the day off, give your unions a hand.”

Labor Day rally
Alisha Humphrey, Starbucks barista at the Nichols Hills store and organizer, visits with a supporter at the Starbucks Workers United Labor Day rally at the Oklahoma Capitol, 2022. (B.DICKERSON/Okla City Free Press)

Correction: In one instance in the original version of this report we misgendered Representative Turner. The correction has been made. We are sorry for the error.


Author Profile

Alex Gatley covers labor activities in the state of Oklahoma.