Starbucks Union wins big ☕️

Hey there! Today is Equal Pay Day, which represents how many days women have to work into the current year to make what men made last year. It’s March 12th, which means that women have to work ~2.5 more months to make a year’s worth of a man’s median wages.

To break it down further: Full-time working women earn just 84 cents for every dollar men make. Factor in part-time and seasonal employees? That number drops to 78 cents on the dollar. 

Each year, this date reminds us of the persistent wage gap between men and women. It’s clear: The road ahead is still long. But by fighting for pay transparency, we remain hopeful for a better future—a future where Equal Pay Day is on January 1st. 💪

 1   Starbucks Union makes major progress 💥

After years of aggressive union-busting tactics, Starbucks has finally agreed to negotiate contracts with the nearly 400 stores that have unionized under Starbucks Workers United (SWU).

Some background: Starbucks has spent an estimated $240 million on anti-union efforts, including firing pro-union workers, closing unionized stores, and filing endless litigation. 

But these tactics did little to stop union power…and now, Starbucks is pouring one out for its employees: 

• Starbucks has agreed to work with the SWU to create a new framework for collective bargaining agreements.

• The company will also start providing union members certain benefits it previously only allowed at non-union stores, like access to credit-card tipping.

So, what changed? A few factors likely played a role:

• Endless Stream of New Filings: Just last week, 21 more stores filed for union elections—the largest single-day filings since the campaign began.

• Campus Backlash: Students at Cornell and other universities are pressuring their schools to cut ties with the anti-union company.

• Shareholder Revolt: Last year, 52% of shareholders approved auditing Starbucks' labor practices.

• Management Dissent: The company is struggling to hire store managers willing to enforce its unpopular anti-union policies.

The road ahead is still long. While this agreement is a major victory, true success will depend on Starbucks agreeing to the union's contract proposals, which include higher wages, better benefits, and stronger protections.

But the implications are huge. SWU's breakthrough could inspire large-scale unionization efforts across the food service industry, where unions are seriously lacking. 

As worker Michelle Eisen said, "The fight is just beginning…the working class is being pummeled and pummeled, and you're finally seeing workers say, 'Enough is enough.'"

 2   The two states with the worst pay gap 🫢

This women’s month, we’re exposing the gender pay gap. A new report by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) just exposed the two worst offenders when it comes to the gender pay gap: Louisiana and Utah. 

In these states, women are taking home 75 cents for every dollar paid to men. If that 25% pay cut isn't bad enough, the gap widens even further for part-time women workers, who make only 66 cents on the dollar.

So what's to blame? One word: discrimination. Even after accounting for factors like education and job type, a whopping 38% of the gap has no explanation…other than bias against women.

One big reason the gap persists in these states? A lack of salary transparency laws. Neither Louisiana nor Utah currently has salary transparency legislation in place—and the NWLC sees this as one of the biggest barriers to pay equity.

Curious if your state has a pay transparency law? Check here.

 3   The NCAA faces a reckoning as athletes unionize 🏀

With a slam dunk vote of 13-2, the Dartmouth men’s basketball team scored a major win last week by becoming the first college athletes in US history to vote to join a labor union. 

The background: In September 2023, the Dartmouth players filed a petition to unionize with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). In February, the board ruled that student-athletes are employees—a massive pivot away from the NCAA's long-held "amateur" designation.

So what does this mean for athletes? Well, it could be a big W for some…and an L for others:

• If schools are forced to treat athletes as employees under the NLRB, they could unionize to bargain for better compensation, healthcare, and more.

• But at the same time, if institutions are required to pay their players, they could put non-revenue-generating teams on the chopping block. 

The legal battle looms. Dartmouth administration has appealed the NLRB decision, with experts predicting the case could reach the Supreme Court. Looks like “March Madness” might have a whole new meaning… 🙃

Sponsored by Deputy

It’s Time to Talk About Shift Equality.

Did you know? Shift workers (also known as hourly workers) make up the majority of the world’s workforce.

It’s time to talk about shift equality. For hourly workers, annual pay looks different depending on the amount of hours, shifts, and overtime they clock in — even if they have the same hourly wage as their coworkers.

This Equal Pay Day, our friends at Deputy have launched the Shift to Equity Snapshot Report, analyzing over 23 million hours worked across healthcare, hospitality, retail, and services to give a view into the current state of shift equality in the US.

Check it out here!

This week, we’re throwing it back to our Denver interviews. Find out how Denverites really feel about their city and salaries, featuring: 

• Dog sitters who earn $6,000 a month 

• A personal trainer who opened her own studio and doubled her salary to $75K 

• A student loan consultant earning $71K—but has over $80K in student loans herself

• Curious what it looks like to work behind-the-scenes in entertainment? In our latest episode of The Break Room, we’ve got the scoop for you—straight from the source. 🎥.

• To really gauge a company’s culture, ask these two questions. 

• The actor earning $30,000 in Glendale, California. 

• The full breakdown of how Salary Transparent Street made $1 million in 2023. 

• It’s important to know your market rate before you negotiate. Our database has you covered. 

Thanks for being here! This past Sunday, Jimmy Kimmel took the stage as the host of the Oscars. And if you’re anything like me, you might’ve wondered…how much does someone get paid for that? Well, I found your answer: According to the late night host himself, Kimmel earned $15,000 to host in 2017 and 2018—a cool 0.1% of his $15 million salary. 😲

Do we think the Academy would hire a street interviewer for the gig? Asking for a friend. 🙃 

See you next week!