STEAMED

FOR A MEASURE OF JUST HOW FED UP AMERICAN WORKERS ARE, LOOK TO STARBUCKS, WHERE BARISTAS ARE UNIONIZING ALA PACE THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN UNIMAGINABLE A YEAR AGO AND INSPIRING SIMILAR ACTIVISM ELSEWHERE

- JOSH EIDELSON

On April 4, the first day of Howard Schultz’s third go-round as chief executive officer of Starbucks Corp., he set the tone with an espresso tasting. Dozens of baristas gathered in rows at the company’s headquarters in Seattle, while many more joined from across the country via live stream. First, the assembled took a collective slurp of coffee. “Full-bodied, bold—to me, that’s representative of who we are,” said Michelle Burns, the executive who oversees coffee sourcing. Next, an employee named Fen Tapley led the crowd in an impromptu protest against Florida’s new “Don’t Say Gay” law: “Gay! Gay! Gay!” they chanted. Then it was time to introduce Schultz. “He’s chosen to return and to come back and to put on the green apron alongside all of us,” Tapley said. The baristas gave the CEO a standing ovation. “You’re going to make me cry,” Schultz said.