Critics: Leaders of Bank Owned by Union Targeting Starbucks are "Male, Pale and Stale"
High-profile ad campaign calls into question the “diversity rhetoric” of Workers United, the union behind the 18-month campaign to unionize Starbucks.
The Center for Union Facts, the group behind WorkersUnitedFacts.com, has launched an ad campaign calling into question the “diversity rhetoric” of Workers United, the union behind the 18-month campaign to unionize Starbucks.
As part of its ad campaign, the Center for Union Facts launched a billboard in New York’s Times Square which borrowed from former Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Andy Stern’s remarks that the leadership of America’s labor unions was “male, pale, and stale.”
The large-SEIU is the parent union of Workers United, the union that has successfully unionized approximately 300 (out of 9,000) Starbucks cafes around the country.
“Workers United is the largest shareholder of Amalgamated Bank, a so-called ‘socially responsible’ financial institution,” the group stated Wednesday.
In 2020 and 2021, Amalgamated Bank dedicated sections in its Corporate Social Responsibility Reports solely to diversity, equity, and inclusion, CUF noted. The Bank stated that it was dedicated to “expanding diversity among the decision makers in each area of the Bank.” It also claimed that “diversity has always been a critical part of our heritage and identity.”
However, according to a CUF report which was also released on Wednesday, the Bank’s filings with the EEOC demonstrated that the union-owned bank’s workforce composition “may fall short of its stated commitment to equity and inclusion.”
According to the CUF report:
White employees made up – on average – 81% of executive/senior management at Amalgamated Bank between 2017 and 2021.
On average, Black, Hispanic, and Asian employees accounted for just 13% of executive/senior management at the Bank. This is substantially lower than minority representation in lower paying positions at the Bank.
Women made up – on average – just 28% of executive/senior management between 2017 and 2021.
The Bank’s employment numbers show that there is less minority representation for employees as you move farther along the upper management structure
“Former SEIU president Andy Stern memorably described the leadership of America’s labor unions as ‘male, pale, and stale,’” stated CUF communications director Charlyce Bozzello. “Workers, union members, and the public deserve to know if Workers United and Amalgamated Bank are living up to their rhetoric and progressive reputations.”