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Starbucks Employees Go On Strike On The Busiest Day Of The Year
Starbucks employees at Boulder’s Pearl St. location walked out during the “Red Cup Rebellion” Thursday morning. Starbucks Workers United organized the one-day strike to protest for fair labor treatment, including issues of stores being understaffed.
The “Red Cup Rebellion” was a response to the busiest day of the year for Starbucks, when every customer receives a free reusable red cup with the purchase of a holiday drink. The Associated Press reports baristas are exhausted and overworked, even without promotional events like Red Cup Day.
The Pearl St. location has yet to unionize but this didn’t stop them from participating in the strike. Employees stood outside of the store with signs.
Starbucks’ union said it was expecting over 5,000 workers to take part in its “Red Cup Rebellion.”
Starbucks has openly discussed its opposition to the unionization of its employees and hasn’t reached a deal with the union.
Property Tax Relief Plan Unveiled
After Coloradans voted against the tax relief measure, Proposition HH, in this month’s election, legislators will convene for a special session in the State Capitol today. The Democratic majority unveiled a new property tax relief plan yesterday, following Governor Jared Polis’ request.
The one-year plan would reduce the residential assessment rate for the 2023 tax year by 0.065%, the same amount as Proposition HH. It would also exclude $50,000 of a home’s value from taxation.
Commercial properties are not included in the plan, but it does include funds for rental assistance and meals for children of low-income families during the summer months.
$200 million of the state’s general fund would be allocated towards schools and fire districts to make up the tax difference, but hospitals and emergency services will receive less funding than they would in a usual tax year.
Republicans are proposing a different plan that would reduce residential assessment rates by 0.265%, a much larger decrease than the Democratic plan. It will also allocate a large majority of the general fund to schools and local districts.
The special session is expected to last three days.
Police Investigate Man’s Death After Arrest
A 36-year-old man died due to unknown causes after police arrested him Wednesday morning, according to the Denver Police Department.
The man called 911 late Tuesday night, saying he was being robbed and was having a heart attack. When an ambulance arrived, the man became “combative” and walked away, according to a Denver PD press release.
He was seen minutes later, at approximately midnight, throwing concrete at a glass door on Speer Blvd. and attempting to enter an apartment building. At this point, the security guard for that building wrestled him to the ground and hit the man to stop him from biting. That’s according to testimony from the guard.
When police arrived at the scene, they put the man in recovery position – on his side with one leg raised to open airways and avoid choking. They proceeded to search the man for weapons and after about a minute in this position, police noticed the man was struggling to breathe. Police began doing CPR and administered Naloxone.
After being transported to Denver Health, the man was pronounced dead at 6 a.m. Thursday.
Denver PD says the officers did not use tasers, nor did they hit the man at any point during the arrest. They’ve begun an investigation on the causes of his death.
The person’s identity, as well as body-camera footage from the incident, will be released after police finish trying to notify the man’s relatives.
Pro-Palestinians Protest Against Israeli Conference
The Colorado Palestine Coalition is calling to shut down the Global Conference for Israel, saying it is a form of ethnic cleansing.
The conference is scheduled for Nov. 30, with Governor Jared Polis and the current Israeli United Nations Ambassador featured as speakers. It will focus on the water scarcity and food insecurity solutions that are currently being formulated in Israel.
Members of the coalition are asking Polis to not speak at the conference and say they plan to protest during the event, if it isn’t canceled.
According to Axios Denver, the event was scheduled before the conflict between Israel and Palestine began.
Mental Health Centers Merge
Two mental health service providers are joining forces to create the largest nonprofit behavioral health center in Colorado. Jefferson Center, the mental health organization for Jefferson, Clear Creek and Gilpin counties, is merging with WellPower, another mental health service provider in Colorado, that also provides resources for the unhoused.
The new nonprofit will keep the name WellPower.
The CEOS of both WellPower and Jefferson Center released a statement about the merger, saying it is a response to the ever-growing need of mental health aid in the state as every one in four Coloradan reports that their mental health is poor. They also said that through combining technology and specialized care, the nonprofit will provide an abundance of addiction and mental health programs.
All staff employed within both providers will keep their jobs, according to the press release.
