Raise the starting pay to $15 an hour.
Why is this important?
As the largest coffee chain in the world, Starbucks should treat employees above average -- especially since the company is known for taking care of employees. We are a branded coffee name yet employees pay are comparable to coffee houses a fraction of the size of Starbucks. Starbucks is a multibillion dollar company, but it's been reported that it pays an effective tax rate of zero, yet is still unable to pay livable wages to its employees.
We have been continually working throughout the pandemic, but the pay is not a livable wage starting at $12 an hour. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been many new rules/regulations and restraints implemented. We have new work every day, but we're not seeing a return for that work. At my location, for example, we have a great crew, but morale is starting to go down with many employees feeling as if their work is unappreciated. With the morales of employees going down, we are seeing a direct correlation to our customer connection score (the happiness of our customers). Customers are feeling less like they have a 3rd place, and more like they are just getting rushed thru with less smiles because there is so much more going on behind the bar. Employees deserve to feel they can handle their bills and what ever else they need while working full time at any job, but especially a company as large and profitable as Starbucks.
