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What I’ve Been Reading This Week


I came across two good articles this week that should give readers something to page through over the weekend.  While I do call attention to the article on Starbucks, I refer readers to the second article which traces the history of right to work laws in the country.  I encourage readers to spend the time paging through that article to get a better insight into the topic.

As always, below are a couple articles that caught my eye this week.



Readers recall that the spread of unions at nearly 100 Starbucks locations around the country has become a major thorn in the side of Starbucks and anti union supporters.  As Caitlin Harrington over at Wired recently noted, before Starbucks workers had a union, they had a platform called “Coworker” that gave them a voice to try and fight for changes in the workplace.  This platform took center stage when Starbucks workers fought for the right to roll up their sleeves to expose tattoos (with visible tattoos having been a no go with Starbucks.)  Since the time the platform launched in 2013, it has been utilized as a tool to use petitions to bring about change in the workplace.  With the rise of unions at Starbucks, the creators of Coworker are now looking at ways to incorporate these online petitions to further a pro union and worker friendly message at the company.



Ah yes, right to work laws…a bane to labor unions around the country.  For those unfamiliar with right to work laws, states that have these laws in place prohibit the requirement that a worker join a union or pay union dues as a condition of employment.  With Democrats having majority control in Congress, they are attempting to pass the PRO Act, legislation which would roll back right to work laws, among other labor friendly initiatives.  This is as good of a time as any to provide a bit of background on right to work laws and how they have evolved over the decades.

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