AFSCME Local 3399 Resolution Calling for Boycott of Starbucks and Amazon

July 26, 2023

The members of AFSCME Local 3399 call for a universal boycott of Starbucks and Amazon because of their illegal and blatant union-busting tactics that violate the rights of thousands of workers across the United States.

 Starbucks has engaged in outright hostility toward its workers by illegally firing union organizers, closing unionized stores, and refusing to negotiate in good faith over new union contracts.  

 Amazon workers have suffered similar retaliation with the firing of union organizers, mandatory anti-union meetings, and surveillance of employees. Amazon also faces state and federal investigations for unsafe warehouse working conditions where two-day delivery comes at a steep human cost. More than 38,000 Amazon employees were injured in 2022 with a serious injury rate more than double the rate at other warehouses in the United States.

 AFSCME Local 3399, which represents most City of Takoma Park employees, urges everyone to boycott Starbucks and Amazon now. It isn’t difficult to support a local coffee shop or a different online retailer, and these actions could force change by these companies that care more about profits than people.

 AFSCME Local 3399 also calls on all unions at the local, state, and national level to speak up in support of our sisters and brothers at Starbucks and Amazon.

 The labor movement is an integral part of the civil rights movement, Black Lives Matter, and the LGBTQ movement. As Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The labor movement was the principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress.” 

 We can’t forget our fellow workers at Starbucks and Amazon now as their struggle for hope and progress continues.