As of Monday afternoon, 59 Starbucks locations had been shuttered due to a five-day strike by the workers’ union.
Starting in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, the birthplace of Starbucks, the strike expanded to Boston, Dallas, and Portland, Oregon, on Monday. Over the weekend, workers in Pittsburgh, Denver, New York, and other cities joined the strike.
Employees are demonstrating over the company’s lack of progress in contract negotiations. Starbucks has not fulfilled a February pledge to negotiate a labor agreement this year, according to Starbucks Workers United, which started the unionization movement in 2021.
Additionally, the union wants the business to settle unresolved legal matters, such as hundreds of unfair labor practice complaints that employees have submitted to the National Labor Relations Board. Baristas at 535 Starbucks locations controlled by the firm have opted to join the union since 2021.
The strike occurs during one of Starbucks’ busiest seasons of the year. However, the business reported on Monday that it hasn’t had a major effect on how its stores operate. In the US, Starbucks operates about 10,000 locations.
We value the thousands of partners nationwide who continue to support one another and provide our customers with the Starbucks experience, and we respect our partners’ right to participate in authorized strike activity,” the business said in a statement on Monday.
Since the spring, the two sides have been negotiating, but it seems that they have come to a standstill on economic concerns. Starbucks stated that it has promised to give unionized employees a pay raise of at least 1.5% every year. In any given year, the corporation would nonetheless give union members a 1.5% raise even if it provided non-union workers a smaller raise.
According to Starbucks, baristas in the US earn $18 an hour on average. with perks including paid family leave, free college tuition, and health insurance According to Starbucks, baristas who put in at least 20 hours a week make an average of $30 per hour.
Employees claim they are entitled to more, pointing out that Brian Niccol, Starbucks’ new chairman and CEO, who began work in September, has the potential to earn over $100 million in his first year.
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