Jaz Brisack

Jaz Brisack (born August 11, 1997) is an American union organizer, author, and barista. They are known for leading unionizing efforts at Starbucks, namely at a Buffalo, New York store.

Early life and education Jazlyn Brisack was born in Texas in 1997. They were homeschooled in Alcoa, Tennessee, where they grew up. Their family were conservative Democrats, and they became interested in activism early in their life. At 16, they worked as a dishwasher at Panera Bread where they became familiar with their coworkers’ struggles as low-paid frontline employees in harsh working conditions. They first developed an interest in labor unions there. They were also a student of the university's honors program, the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. Brisack finished their scholarship at the Wadham College, Oxford in one year with a Master of Science in intellectual history.

Career and activism

2016 to 2019 Brisack started their career in 2016 working as a teacher-advisor for the Sunflower Freedom Project, and in 2017 working part-time in a campaign with United Auto Workers They also worked to help defend Jackson Women's Health Organization. In 2019, Brisack relocated to Buffalo, New York, following Richard Bensinger, whom they had worked with on Nissan unionizing, to start a union organizing campaign at SPoT Coffee. The campaign at SPoT was ultimately successful.

Starbucks (2020–22) In 2020, Brisack joined the Elmwood Avenue Starbucks as a barista. Eight months into working there, in July 2021, Starbucks faced a labor shortage amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Brisack recalled thinking it was "now or never," and launched a then-secret campaign with Bensinger and Workers United to unionize Starbucks.

In late August 2021, Brisack and 48 other baristas in the Buffalo area wrote a letter to Kevin Johnson, Starbucks chief executive officer, informing the company of their intent to form a union. and on December 17, 2021, the National Labor Relations Board certified its union, making it the first unionized Starbucks branch in the USA. Three weeks later, Brisack and the other Elmwood baristas organized a strike after a bargaining meeting regarding protections for workers from the COVID-19 Omicron variant had been unsuccessful. Cassie Fleischer, another organizer and union member at the Elmwood store, told The Washington Post that all of the union's requests were denied, including that the company pay "out-of-pocket costs on coronavirus tests". Senator Bernie Sanders, House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, As of January 14, 2022, 15 stores had filed for union elections; by May 11, 2022, that number reached at least 170; and claims that the firings were for violations of its security rules. Starbucks has said "Claims of union busting are categorically false. We want our partners to be informed and make the best decisions for themselves".

Tesla (2022–)

Brisack left Starbucks in September 2022, claiming to have been forced out. They then assisted a Tesla organizing committee at a factory in Buffalo where, as of March 2023, they were also reported to be organizing workers.