Get On the Job And Organize: Standing Up for a Better Workplace and a Better World

In this fascinating insider account, Brisack, a founding member of Starbucks Workers United, shares their experiences as a workers’ rights advocate, with a focus on their pivotal role in the campaign to unionize Starbucks. Brisack’s first exposure to the power gap between worker and employer came when they were 16 and working at a Panera; after demanding their promised raise and additional training, they were fired—“In under a minute, I was out of a job and into a greater understanding of the power dynamics of wage labor.” In 2018, they cofounded the Inside Organizer School, which trained so-called “salts” to get hired for the express purpose of unionizing their new workplace. (Its curriculum educated students on how to maximize their chances of getting hired—among the tips was to express a love of hierarchy.) After a stint as a Rhodes Scholar, Brisack returned to the U.S. to become a salt at a Buffalo Starbucks, soon finding themself run ragged by the grueling work. Despite concerted opposition from Starbucks, Brisack led the branch to a successful unionization vote in 2021, which the National Labor Relations Board certified, setting a significant precedent that has since galvanized unionization efforts in the U.S. Brisack, who has since sought to organize Tesla, remains refreshingly optimistic, convinced that unionization can “pave the way for future liberation beyond our current comprehension of what is possible.” It’s an inspiring David-vs.-Goliath tale. (Apr.)