Members of Starbucks Workers United initiated their first strike in over a year on Friday, announcing plans for an ongoing strike leading up to Christmas Eve.
This marks the union’s largest planned work stoppage since the beginning of their organizing efforts at the coffee chain three years ago.
The planned strike commenced on Friday in three pivotal markets for the company: Seattle, Chicago, and Los Angeles, cities that the union highlights as crucial.
The union warns that the strike could extend to hundreds of Starbucks locations nationwide by Christmas Eve unless the company agrees to a contract framework.
Since winning its first union election in Buffalo in December 2021, Starbucks Workers United has been actively organizing across the company’s network.
The union now represents 12,000 workers at 528 stores, according to the latest figures from the National Labor Relations Board, which supervises private sector election representations.
Despite some losses, the union has faced votes at 100 stores, a small portion of Starbucks’ 11,200 company-operated locations in the U.S., which employ around 201,000 workers as of the end of September.
The campaign for the first union contract has included multiple strikes at selected stores since the initial strike at approximately 100 locations in November 2022.
Despite these strikes, many stores have remained operational, with Starbucks managing to keep doors open by substituting unionized workers with managers and staff from non-union locations.
Phil Gee, a spokesperson for Starbucks, mentioned, “There has been no significant impact on our store operations. We are aware of disruptions at a small handful of stores, but the overwhelming majority of our US stores remain open and are serving customers as usual.”
This is the union’s first major strike since last November and comes after a year of negotiations showing significant progress between Starbucks and the union.
Unlike prolonged strikes seen in other industries, the union has opted for shorter, fixed-duration strikes, a strategy that has gained popularity and seen successes in recent U.S. labor movements, such as the recent strike at Kaiser Permanente.
The union has been clear about having a negotiation framework with Starbucks since February, aiming to finalize the first labor agreement and address legal disputes, but claims the company has not upheld its end of the deal.
Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi, a Starbucks barista from Texas and a bargaining delegate, stated, “Nobody wants to strike. It’s a last resort, but Starbucks has broken its promise to thousands of baristas and left us with no choice.”
“In a year when Starbucks invested millions in top executive talent, it has failed to present the baristas who make its company run with a viable economic proposal. This is just the beginning. We will do whatever it takes to get the company to honor the commitment it made to us in February.”
Starbucks remains open to negotiations, asserting its commitment to reaching an agreement despite the union’s decision to halt talks.
According to Starbucks, “It is disappointing they didn’t return to the table given the progress we’ve made to date. Since April we’ve held more than nine bargaining sessions over 20 days.”
“We’ve reached over thirty meaningful agreements on hundreds of topics Workers United delegates told us were important to them, including many economic issues,” said the company.
Starbucks contends that the union’s financial demands are unsustainable, citing a proposal for a drastic increase in the minimum wage for hourly workers, which it finds unfeasible.
The union disputes these figures, stating that Starbucks has misrepresented its economic demands without providing specific details.
The company reports an average hourly wage exceeding $18, along with top-tier benefits such as healthcare, complimentary college tuition, paid family leave, and company stock grants.
“No other retailer offers this kind of comprehensive pay and benefits package,” the company stated.
However, the union alleges that since September, when Brian Niccol took over as CEO, Starbucks management has retreated from initial advancements.
