They call you “partner” so you’ll forget you’re labor.
Starbucks built its whole brand on the promise — health insurance at 20 hours a week, progressive company, we take care of our people. That was the sell. That was the goddamn recruitment pitch for a decade. And now? Premiums nearly doubling. One barista watching her coverage go from $130 a week to $170. Another watching his jump from $70 to $122 per paycheck — the same paycheck that’s supposed to cover rent, groceries, and the heart medication he needs to show up for work in the first place.
One mother is dropping her insurance entirely. Makes too much for state coverage, can’t afford the company plan. That’s the gap they built for her: not poor enough for help, not paid enough to buy what they’re supposed to be providing. She took her kid to the doctor while the card still works because the card disappears October 1st.
And what does Starbucks say? “Like employers across the country, we continue to face rising healthcare costs while remaining committed to providing quality, affordable healthcare coverage.” Bullshit. That’s the press release. The operative reality is a company that won’t even respond to the union’s request for information about what drove the hikes. Won’t explain. Won’t negotiate. Won’t sign a contract — 700 stores unionized, 12,000 workers represented, and not a single contract since December 2021.
They call you partner when they need you behind the register. They call you partner when the cameras show up and the brand needs its progressive face. But when the bill comes due, you’re not a partner. You’re a line item. You’re an expense to be optimized. You’re the cost they’d rather shift onto your paycheck than take from their margins.
They’ve got the money. They just don’t have the decency. And in corporate America, decency doesn’t make the quarterly earnings call, so fuck your heart medication — the shareholders need their cut.
Source story: Starbucks baristas report surging health insurance premiums, union survey finds.