Labor Day Parade Speakers Take Aim at Starbucks, Prop. 45

At the LA/LB Labor Coalition Labor Day Parade, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Yvonne Wheeler introduced two labor activists who addressed workplace conditions and California’s Proposition 45.

Khaliya Jackson, a Long Beach Starbucks barista and California State University, Long Beach senior, said she has worked for Starbucks for three years, opened five stores and become a shift supervisor. A member of Starbucks Workers United, Jackson called for a boycott of the coffee chain, citing understaffing, wages and scheduling.

“Baristas are the face of the company every day,” Jackson said, arguing that some workers cannot afford to live in the communities where they work. She also said insufficient hours can jeopardize workers’ benefits and that understaffing can make it difficult to take required breaks.

Jackson said Starbucks Workers United has won nearly 700 union elections, representing more than 12,000 baristas. 

Alisa Goldstein, representing the California State Building and Construction Trades Council, urged the crowd to oppose Proposition 45, which will appear on the Nov. 3 statewide ballot.

The State Building and Construction Trades Council of California is opposing Proposition 45 primarily because it argues the measure would weaken California’s environmental-review protections under CEQA rather than simply streamline permitting.

Goldstein characterized the measure as a threat to labor and community interests and urged the crowd to vote against it.