Unions are dead. At least as they apply to the service industry they are. The service industry killed them by making jobs easier and easier and hiring younger and younger until we finally arrived at the situation that we're in today. Employees are given the impression that one McJob is the same as another and there's no reason to worry about going from one to another to another in the space of a month. They all suck, by the way, and you can keep hopping forever. Employers never have to kick down any benefits (not you, Dicks) and can insta-train any new hires to immediately replace anyone who hops. Not a scenario that really invites the involvement of unions. Why bother for a job you're just going to have for a year anyway?

Nonetheless, here's this article about a rogue band of baristas trying to get all lWW on Starbucks:

The union, the Philadelphia-based Industrial Workers of the World, wants the company to guarantee a 30-hour work week in order to stabilize workers' paychecks and ensure that employees are eligible for health benefits.

The union also charges the company has taken intimidating action against some employees who seem favorably inclined to the union.

"Currently Starbucks has zero full-time retail hourly workers in the United States," said Dan Gross, 26, a barista at a midtown Starbucks and an organizer for the union. Baristas are entry-level workers who make beverages, operate the cash register and clean the store.

"With fluctuating hours and a fluctuating paycheck, it makes it very difficult to make rent, pay utilities and get food on the table," he said.