A 33-year-old who labored at Starbucks for 13 years acquired fired over a month-old violation. It led to a union walkout and a viral video that has racked up 21 million views on TikTok

Sam Amato has spent practically his total working life at Starbucks.   

Over 13 years, he’s served numerous clients, discovered particulars of their lives, and even “watched their children develop up,” the previous shift supervisor mentioned. When a wave of labor exercise spread through Starbucks locations throughout the nation, he acquired concerned as a lead organizer on the retailer he usually works at in Amherst, a suburb of Buffalo, New York, which turned one of the first within the nation to unionize. 

On Aug. 5, the 33-year-old had simply clocked in for his shift at a distinct Starbucks within the city of Tonawanda when the shop supervisor pulled Amato exterior for a dialog and fired him for a month-old violation linked to closing the shop early, a call that he mentioned left him “blindsighted.” 

“I imply, it’s been 13 years. It’s how I get my paycheck. It’s how I get my insurance coverage. It’s how I make a dwelling,” Amato instructed Fortune. “To have that pulled from below you…it was a devastating second.” 

However when he left the shop that day, he didn’t go away alone. All six staff working within the retailer with him on the time walked out in a present of assist. A number of Starbucks Employees United union members and employees from different places within the space joined them in what rapidly turned a serious viral TikTok video with over 21 million views. 

The caption on the video reads: “When your total retailer walks out after administration unjustly fires your co-worker for being a union chief.”

Starbucks denies that was the reason for Amato’s firing and mentioned it enforces requirements persistently for all staff. 

The labor motion’s viral second

The union drive at Starbucks shops nationwide grew out of a historic vote final December. Employees at a retailer close to Buffalo voted to kind the primary U.S. union within the chain’s 50-year historical past. As 186 other locations have additionally unionized, the espresso big has confronted accusations of retaliating in opposition to and intimidating concerned staff, which it has denied.

In June, the Nationwide Labor Relations Board filed a petition with the U.S. District Courtroom in Buffalo accusing Starbucks of using what the company known as an “expansive array of unlawful ways.” 

Starbucks denied the allegations. “As we now have mentioned beforehand, we imagine these claims are false and can be ready to defend our case,” it told media outlets at the time.

The group walkout in Tonawanda that went viral final week is probably the most publicity {that a} union motion at Starbucks has acquired up to now, in keeping with Casey Moore, the 25-year-old barista who took the video. Moore works at a distinct retailer close to Buffalo, and took part within the Tonawanda walkout as an organizer. She additionally helps run the union’s TikTok account, and shared three movies of the walkout which have collectively clocked over 30 million views on TikTok. 

She posted probably the most viral one on TikTok whereas touring to South Carolina, the place another store union effort is underway.

“This one utterly blew up,” Moore mentioned. “I put my cellphone on airplane mode, after which I opened it up, and I used to be like, ‘Oh my gosh!’”

The barista mentioned she believes Starbucks’ status for holding liberal values is why the video caught the general public’s consideration.

“Individuals care as a result of this can be a firm that claims that they’re progressive,” Moore mentioned. “They are saying that they’re a progressive firm that cares about their staff, and I believe individuals are form of shocked.”

The scene at Starbucks in Tonawanda

Amato and Starbucks Employees United imagine he was fired for his union organizing. 

He mentioned he was “very energetic” with labor exercise in July, submitting an ethics grievance in opposition to the supervisor who later fired him, and serving to to steer a one-day strike of his Starbucks retailer. Amato mentioned he continued his outspokenness in discussing Starbucks’ “insufficient medical health insurance” in a filmed interview with Extra Good Union, a progressive media outlet, final month.

With the addition of Amato, Starbucks has fired 9 union leaders within the Buffalo space up to now, and greater than 75 pro-union staff within the U.S., in keeping with Starbucks Employees United. The union mentioned it has filed an unfair labor apply cost in opposition to the corporate on Amato’s behalf. 

Starbucks declined to remark to Fortune concerning the union’s declare, and its accusations of unfair labor practices in reference to Amato. 

Amato’s termination discover, which he shared with Fortune, states the trigger was that he “closed the cafe throughout common enterprise hours with out informing” the district or retailer supervisor. It additionally notes that Starbucks issued Amato a previous warning in August 2021, although it doesn’t specify what that warning was about. Amato mentioned it was for a “utterly unrelated” communications challenge. 

Starbucks instructed Fortune that the explanation for Amato’s termination is retailer coverage violations, particularly not following closing insurance policies after having acquired a ultimate written warning. 

Amato disputes this, saying he didn’t make the choice to shutter briefly that workday. One other shift supervisor did as soon as the “severely understaffed” workforce of three baristas acquired overwhelmed throughout the busy July four weekend, and later instructed administration that he wasn’t accountable. A Starbucks spokesperson mentioned retailer management holds Amato liable for deciding to shut.

Moore instructed Fortune closing the shop has change into more and more frequent apply, relatively than a fireable offense, as staffing shortages abound with the pandemic and ongoing Starbucks unionization drive.

“We have now been so extremely understaffed that we’ve gotten permission from each managers and higher-up executives that say that we now have discretion as shift supervisors to shut down the foyer if we’re not in a position to run the ground,” she mentioned. 

The Starbucks spokesperson mentioned no such exception has been made for companions, the time period the corporate makes use of for its staff. 

“Companions are in a position to shut down the foyer, however they nonetheless have to have it authorised by administration. A companion can’t shut the foyer with out prior approval for every occasion,” the spokesperson mentioned, referring to what Starbucks calls switching over to solely drive-through or cell orders. “That was not finished on this scenario. This companion individually determined that the foyer was going to be closed.”

Since he was fired, Amato and different staff have picketed exterior the Tonawanda retailer a number of instances, carrying indicators and pasting posters over the doorways with the message “Rehire Sam!” 

The shop closed earlier within the week, CBS reported. A Starbucks spokesperson instructed Fortune on Thursday that it’s now open. 

Moore mentioned Amato’s decade-long ties with Starbucks baristas within the space is what’s led staff to proceed their strike on the Tonawanda retailer.

“Sam is actually an establishment right here,” she mentioned. “There’s a number of overlap with individuals choosing up shifts throughout the district, so everyone just about is aware of Sam for those who’re a Starbucks employee within the Buffalo space.”

Amato mentioned he hasn’t had a lot downtime to consider what can be his subsequent job. 

“I’ve been listening to so much from clients and former companions,” he mentioned. “That’s what I’ll actually miss—seeing all these individuals every single day.”

“I’m so grateful for the chance to have been in a position to serve them and get to know them. Starbucks can take away my paycheck and my insurance coverage and the whole lot else,” Amato added. “However they’ll’t take away these relationships that I’ve constructed.”