An open letter to Starbucks

To Kevin Johnson our CEO, and to rest of the Starbucks Coffee Company.

Your workforce is a very diverse one. We are made up women, men, and others who come from many backgrounds. We are made up of conservatives, liberals and every political belief in between. Many of us are straight, and many of us are members of the LGBTQ+ community. Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Unitarians, Wiccans, and nearly every other religious background is represented in what is a rich, colorful, and diverse partnership. As a whole, we partners of the Starbucks Corporation are very proud of our diversity, and are proud to work for a company with a conscience. After all, we are all partners, with the simple goal of inspiring and nurturing the human spirit – one cup, one person, and one neighborhood at a time.
That being said, it can be very difficult to nurture the spirit of others, when we ourselves do not feel nurtured. And while we collectively appreciate the many benefits given to us partners, we feel as though our great efforts still remain undercompensated. As a partner of the lowest rank in this company, I have personally felt the struggle to make ends meet, and I have seen my partners strive to do the same; sometimes successfully, and other times not. We are not asking for Starbucks to give us great wealth, we do not expect bonuses or stock options or salaried pay. We simply ask for what we believe is a fairer wage for our efforts. Furthermore, while we all like to believe that each partner is giving a 100% to the Starbucks Coffee Company, this is sadly not a reality. This fact makes it more difficult to accept a set annual pay raise. Therefore, we ask for a merit-based raised program, similar to the one that was previously in place. This not only rewards those who try their absolute hardest to provide the second to none Starbucks experience, but might also give those who have perhaps grown slightly weary from the day-to-day the motivation to proudly wear their green apron and brighten the days of our customers. We are not asking for a hand-out, or anything dramatic. We are not accusing the corporation of being unethical, or unfair in any way, we are simply opening up a dialog with you, our partners. We believe that with a more motivated group of baristas, we can improve the Starbucks experience to greater heights than before.

We shareholders humbly request, that our CEO and other corporate partners sit down with a fresh cup of coffee (may I suggest Komodo dragon) and consider what is outlined in this letter.

For the love of the bean,
Partners of Starbucks