This barista is feeling burned.
A Starbucks worker is claiming she was denied time off and compensation — and forced to return to work — after reportedly suffering second-degree burns on the job.
Julia, who didn’t reveal her last name, recalled the mishap in which she was reportedly hurt in a now-viral TikTok video posted Wednesday by Starbucks Workers United, an organization that supports Starbucks employees’ efforts to unionize.
Julia, who said she is a shift supervisor, claimed to be handling a “hot” pitcher of water on a Thursday when she accidentally spilled its contents “all over” herself, she relayed in the clip. The mishap reportedly left her left foot with second-degree burns, despite wearing “protective shoes,” she said.
“And I had to return to work right away,” added Julia, who said she applied her last available amount of “sick time” to be able to take one day off but has “no more to use.”
She claimed that an injury “incident report” she allegedly filed with the company had gone unanswered at the time the video was recorded — apparently the Monday following the accident — and also claimed that her manager had not replied to her texts or calls. “I have not seen her since or heard from her,” said Julia.
She also alleged that her injuries had since “worsened” because she was still working.
“I just need some help,” she pleaded, while further claiming, “They’re forcing me basically to work in the condition I’m in — and I can’t even put shoes on.”
A group of “concerned partners” from her workplace — purported to be an East Robinson Starbucks location in Buffalo, New York — created a GoFundMe page to support her. The store recently filed for a union vote, according to the page, which added that Julia was a union organizing committee member. The page further claimed that “Starbucks has engaged in a very public campaign to try to force union leaders to quit and we believe this treatment of Julia is part of this pattern.”
According to New York State law, employers are required to pay for insurance for workers’ compensation cases. Employees can file claims, which must be paid if the “employer or insurance carrier agrees that the injury or illness is work-related.”
Julia’s video did not indicate whether she has filed such a claim. She also did not indicate whether she had received medical attention for her alleged injuries.
The Post has reached out to Starbucks for comment on the accusations.
News of the alleged incident comes as Starbucks workers in several New York cities and nationwide have launched campaigns to unionize stores — and some company bosses are pushing back about it. Earlier this month, interim CEO Howard Schultz reportedly lashed out at a 25-year-old, pro-union employee at a rally in Long Beach, California, allegedly telling them, “If you hate Starbucks so much, why don’t you go somewhere else?”
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