Barista Alleges That Niccol's 'Back To Starbucks' Initiative Has Led To Worker Abuse – CoffeeTalk

Starbucks has faced criticism from a barista who believes the company’s recent changes are causing staff dissatisfaction. Diego Franco, a Chicago-based barista and bargaining delegate with Starbucks Workers United, revealed that the company’s rules under new CEO Brian Niccol have fueled frustration among employees. Franco claims that they are verbally abused and that the manager points out their mistakes.

The complaints come after CEO Brian Niccol launched the Back to Starbucks initiative, which aims to make Starbucks “the world’s greatest customer service company again.” The new guidelines require no custom drink order to take longer than four minutes to make, including popular beverages like the ‘Pink Drink’ and’secret menu’ Frappuccino variations. Additionally, barista uniforms now include Starbucks-branded clothing instead of plain black shirt.

A spokesperson for Starbucks stated that Franco’s comments were based on sentiment and only from one source. The company offers the best job in retail, with pay and benefits for baristas worth an average of $30 per hour, free college tuition, comprehensive health care, and up to 18 weeks of paid family leave for part-time work. Starbucks has invested over $500m through Green Apron Service to improve the in-store experience for both customers and partners.

Franco believes that the company’s resources should be used to address baristas’ concerns rather than adding new policies that make their jobs more difficult. He believes that Starbucks has too much power and money behind itself and chooses not to listen to all baristas who are already part of the union.

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