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An unexpected gesture of kindness changed a grieving barista’s Mother’s Day
A Starbucks barista in Little Rock, Arkansas had a memorable shift last month thanks to her cheerful demeanor and the kindness of a customer.
Courtney Crawford was working an early morning shift at the coffee shop when a customer who seemed to be having a rough start to the day came.
Determined to lift the customer’s spirits, Crawford managed to put a smile on the woman’s face. This simple act sparked an unexpected and profound gesture of gratitude.
In a video she posted on social media, Crawford said the customer left her a note – signed “the Groggy Woman at 5 a.m.” – that included a heartfelt message.
“You were the first face I saw this morning and you really brightened my day,” the note said, according to Crawford. “I’m sure you are exhausted because life, right? That’s all of us. But you deserve to know you made a difference in someone’s day today just by being kind.”
With the note, the customer included a $200 tip.
But what the customer probably didn’t realize was how deeply her gift would impact Crawford – it came at a moment when she needed it the most. This weekend marks her first Mother’s Day without her mother Tammy, who passed away last June after a battle with cancer.
The $200 tip will now allow Crawford to purchase an urn she had not been able to afford.
“I decided that I was going to buy the urn that I have been looking at and bring my mom home for Mother’s Day,” Crawford said in the video.
Crawford, who works three jobs to make ends meet, told “CBS Mornings” lead national correspondent David Begnaud that she is thankful and hopes to one day reconnect with the woman who showed her such kindness.
“If she ever has a day where she thinks she doesn’t matter where she thinks she doesn’t have an impact on the world, I would like to be the reminder that says yes you do,” Crawford said. “And you will never stop having an impact on the world because I will be able to look at my mantel every day and smile because my mom’s looking at me.”
This story is part of “CBS Mornings'” segment “Dear David,” which highlights feel-good stories about regular people doing extraordinary things. If you have a story, email “CBS Mornings” lead national correspondent David Begnaud at DeadDavid@cbsnews.com.
Begnaud is encouraging anyone who knows the generous customer to reach out to him via email or social media.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters says workers at seven Amazon facilities will begin a strike Thursday morning in an effort by the union to pressure the e-commerce giant for a labor agreement during a key shopping period.
The Teamsters say the workers, who authorized walkouts in the past few days, are joining the picket line after Amazon ignored a Dec. 15 deadline the union set for contract negotiations. Amazon says it doesn’t expect any impact on its operations during what the union calls the largest strike against the company in U.S. history.
The Teamsters say they represent nearly 10,000 workers at 10 Amazon facilities, a small portion of the 1.5 million people Amazon employs in its warehouses and corporate offices.
Amazon is ranked No. 2 on the Fortune 500 list of the nation’s largest companies.
At a warehouse in the New York City borough of Staten Island, thousands of workers who voted for the Amazon Labor Union in 2022 and have since affiliated with the Teamsters. At the other facilities, employees – including many delivery drivers – have unionized with them by demonstrating majority support but without holding government-administered elections.
The strikes happening Thursday are taking place at an Amazon warehouse in San Francisco and six delivery stations in southern California, New York City, Atlanta and the Chicago suburb of Skokie, Illinois, according to the union’s announcement. Amazon workers at the other facilities are “prepared to join” them, the union said.
“Amazon is pushing its workers closer to the picket line by failing to show them the respect they have earned,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement.
“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed. We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it,” he said.
The Seattle-based online retailer has been seeking to re-do the election that led to the union victory at the warehouse on Staten Island, which the Teamsters now represent. In the process, the company has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board.
Meanwhile, Amazon says the delivery drivers, which the Teamsters have organized for more than a year, aren’t its employees. Under its business model, the drivers work for third-party businesses, called Delivery Service Partners, who drop off millions of packages to customers everyday.
“For more than a year now, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public – claiming that they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers’. They don’t, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement. “The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges against the union.“
The Teamsters have argued Amazon essentially controls everything the drivers do and should be classified as an employer.
Some U.S. labor regulators have sided with the union in filings made before the NLRB. In September, Amazon boosted pay for the drivers amid the growing pressure.
NEW YORK — The Teamsters union is launching a strike against Amazon at numerous locations across the country, including in Maspeth, Queens.
The Teamsters are calling it the largest strike against Amazon in United States history, and it’s set to begin at 6 a.m. Thursday. In addition to New York City, workers will be joining picket lines in Atlanta, Southern California, San Francisco and Illinois.
In a video announcement released Wednesday night, workers voiced their frustrations.
“Us being strike ready means we’re fed up, and Amazon is clearly ignoring us and we want to be heard,” one worker says in the video.
“It’s really exciting. We’re taking steps for ourselves to win better conditions, better benefits, better wages,” another worker in the video says.
The union says it represents about 10,000 Amazon employees and that Amazon ignored a deadline to come to the table and negotiate. The $2 trillion company doesn’t pay employees enough to make ends meet, the union asserts.
At the height of the holiday season, many are wondering what this means for packages currently in transit.
Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said, “If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed.”
Amazon says Teamsters are misleading the public
An Amazon spokesperson says the Teamsters are misleading the public and do not represent any Amazon employees, despite any claims.
“The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges against the union,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
An Amazon representative says the company doesn’t expect operations to be impacted.
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