Starbucks workers across various stores are planning a five-day strike starting Friday to protest the lack of progress in contract negotiations with the company.
The strikes are initially set to take place in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, with the potential to spread to hundreds of stores across the U.S. by Christmas Eve.
The big picture: Despite the strike action, Starbucks mentioned that there was “no significant impact” on store operations, with the majority of U.S. stores remaining open and serving customers as usual.
- About 535 company-owned U.S. stores have voted to unionize, but Starbucks operates nearly 10,000 company-owned stores nationwide.
- Starbucks Workers United, the union formed in 2021, expressed disappointment that Starbucks failed to fulfill a commitment made in February to reach a labor agreement in the same year.
- The union demands for the company to address unresolved legal matters, including unfair labor practice charges filed by workers with the National Labor Relations Board.
Zoom in: The union’s immediate wage increase demands and long-term proposals conflict with Starbucks’ offer of at least a 1.5% annual pay increase and average hourly pay rate of $18, coupled with benefits like health care and paid family leave, equating to an average pay package of $30 per hour for baristas working at least 20 hours per week.
