Teamsters Rally, With GBLC Support, On Behalf of DPI Workers
Teamsters' Union Local 25 organized a rally on the morning of Tuesday, November 24, to show their support for the workers of DPI-Mid Atlantic, the distributor for Starbucks in New England. The workers at DPI have had to deal with unsafe workplaces, and many have been fired or suspended for attempting to form a union. The GBLC encouraged all member unions to show there support. At the rally, several Boston-area labor leaders spoke including ST Rogers, Mass. AFL-CIO President Bob Haynes, New England Reg. Council of Carpenters' Executive Secretary-Treasurer Mark Erlich, Unite/Here Local 26 President Janice Loux, Candidate for MA Treasurer Steve Grossman, and Boston City Council President Mike Ross.
Below is a letter issued by Teamsters President Sean O'Brien prior to the rally about the workers at DPI and their struggle:
Starbucks is a company built on the ideals of ethics and responsibility. Through the companies “Shared Planet™” program, they strive to make sure that every cup of coffee served at Starbucks is produced using the highest standards of quality and responsible growing practices.
Why then does Starbucks continue to do business with DPI-Mid Atlantic? A company that routinely treats their employees unfairly and puts them, and Starbucks’ customers, in potential danger of public health issues.
DPI-Mid Atlantic is the sole source distributor of all Starbucks products in New England and is based in Canton, MA. All bakery items, breakfast and lunch sandwiches and other prepared foods sold in Starbucks stores are products of DPI-Mid Atlantic.
“Starbucks customers expect the products they purchase to be of the highest standards, and for too long DPI-Mid Atlantic has practiced in unsanitary and unsafe behaviors that put their employees and Starbucks customers at risk,” Sean M. O’Brien, President & Principal Officer of Teamsters Local 25 said. “The Starbucks community needs to understand not just where their coffee beans come from, but all food products before they arrive at their local Starbucks.”
“For too long, DPI-Mid Atlantic has been enforcing scare tactics among employees, forcing them to work in unsafe and unsanitary environments and reprimanding employees that speak up. No one should feel that their jobs are in jeopardy for demanding safe and clean working conditions. Teamsters Local 25 is proud to stand with these hardworking individuals and bring attention to DPI-Mid Atlantic,” O’Brien continued.
When employees complained to management, and later the US Department of Labor’sOccupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the FDA about the unsanitary working conditions, they were fired or suspended from DPI Mid-Atlantic. After complaining to OSHA about unsafe forklifts, battery acid leaks, unsanitary bathrooms, poor lighting, and an expanding rodent population around the dock area, OSHA issued a series of citations and forced the company to address the outstanding problems. Employees at DPI-Mid Atlantic warehouse in Canton have decided to seek union representation to improve the unsafe and unsanitary working conditions, a substandard healthcare plan and inferior wages.
“Starbucks needs to understand the DPI-Mid Atlantic philosophy and maybe rethink who they do business with. They should demand no less from their vendors than they would from their baristas,” O’Brien concluded.
Founded in 1903, Local 25 is the largest Teamsters’ union in New England, representing more than 11,000 men and women throughout Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. More information can be found at teamsterslocal25.com.
