What's New
Workers in Starbucks stores across more than 10 U.S. cities have gone on strike over the course of a five-day walk-out demanding progress in stalled labor contract negotiations.
After beginning in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, the strike organizers, Starbucks Workers United, shared on Sunday that the picket lines have spread to other major cities including Denver, Pittsburgh, and Columbus, Ohio.
The news outlet menafn.com also reported that strike action had taken place in Boston, Dallas, in Texas, and Portland, in Oregon. The map below shows the cities where strike action by Starbucks workers has reportedly been taking place.
Newsweek has contacted the Starbucks Workers United press office via email for comment.
Why It Matters
Starbucks is the most popular coffee chain in the U.S., according to restaurantbusinessonline.com, and the second most popular restaurant chain after McDonald's.
The strikes are set to carry on until Christmas Eve, and union baristas are "calling on everyone to not buy from any Starbucks store."
Given the chain's popularity, this could be a financial hit for Starbucks, as one coffee news outlet, caffeinedude.com, estimated that one Starbucks store can make as $1,000 per day.
Newsweek has contacted the Starbucks press office via email for comment.
What To Know
On Thursday evening, Starbucks Workers United announced that 98 percent of its union partners had voted in favor of a strike in order to "win fair raises, benefits and staffing, protest unfair labor practices, and resolve outstanding litigation with Starbucks."
The union wrote on X, formerly Twitter, this week that "less than two weeks before their end-of-year deadline, Starbucks proposed no immediate wage increase for union baristas, and a guarantee of only 1.5 percent wage increases in future years."
While both sides have "engaged in hundreds of hours of bargaining and countless hours of preparation for each session since," according to a Starbucks Workers United statement, Starbucks has yet to "bring a comprehensive economic package to the bargaining table and hundreds of as-yet unsettled unfair labor practices remain unresolved."
The union added that more than $100 million in legal liabilities remains outstanding.
Responding to the announcement of the strike action, Starbucks' Vice President Sara Kelly gave a statement on Friday saying that union delegates had "prematurely ended our bargaining session and refused to return to the bargaining table."
"It is certainly disappointing given the progress we've made to date; since April we've held more than nine bargaining sessions over 20 days," she added.
Kelly said that they had reached "more than 30 meaningful agreements on hundreds of topics Workers United delegates told us were important to them, including many economic issues."
What People Are Saying
Executive Vice President of Starbucks Sara Kelly, in her statement said: "We know our success starts and ends with our green apron partners and we are committed to enhancing every partner's experience. We value direct relationships because the best person to speak for a partner is the partner.
"As we've said before where partners choose to be represented, we are committed to making sure we engage constructively and in good faith with the union and the partners it represents. We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements as soon as Workers United meets us back at the bargaining table."
Silvia Baldwin, Philadelphia barista and bargaining delegate, said: "It's time to finalize a foundational framework that includes meaningful investments in baristas and to resolve unfair labor practice charges.
"Starbucks can't get back on track as a company until it finalizes a fair contract that invests in its workforce. Right now, I'm making $16.50 an hour. Meanwhile, Brian Niccol's compensation package is worth $57,000 an hour. The company just announced I'm only getting a 2.5 percent raise next year, $0.40 an hour, which is hardly anything. It's one Starbucks drink per week. Starbucks needs to invest in the baristas who make Starbucks run."
What's Next
Starbucks Workers United and Starbucks will sit down for its "last scheduled foundational framework bargaining session of the year" on Christmas Eve, the union said.
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