Do you like Starbucks holiday drinks? It may not be available this week.
Starbucks Workers United announced that baristas will go on strike starting Friday in three major markets: Seattle, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
The union said the move was in response to the coffee chain’s “failure to bring a viable economic proposal to the negotiating table” and “to resolve hundreds of unresolved unfair labor practice complaints.” He said there is.
The union began organizing in 2021 and represents 525 union stores and more than 10,500 members, according to its website. Starbucks has over 10,000 company-owned stores.
“Starbucks has repeatedly promised publicly since February that it intends to close a deal by the end of the year, but has yet to present workers with a serious economic offer,” the group wrote to X. Weeks before a year-end deadline, Starbucks offered union baristas no immediate pay increases and guaranteed future pay increases of only 1.5%. ”
The group said the baristas will expand their five-day strike starting Friday morning and could spread to other cities by Christmas Eve “unless Starbucks honors our commitment to work towards a foundational framework.” He said there is.
Seattle-based Starbucks told NBC News there has been “no material impact” to store operations.
“While we understand there is disruption in a small number of our stores, the overwhelming majority of our U.S. stores remain open and serving our customers,” company spokesperson Phil Gee said in a statement. “I am doing so,” he said.
About 10 of the company-operated stores did not open as scheduled Friday.
In a news release Tuesday, the union said that while the union and Starbucks announced their future direction earlier this year and have had dozens of tentative agreements on the table, “Starbucks still has no comprehensive economic package on the table.” “I haven’t brought it into the country,” he said.
“Starbucks cannot get back on track as a company until it has a fair contract that invests in its employees.Currently, they make $16.50 an hour, while Brian Nicol makes $57,000 an hour. dollars,” Philadelphia barista and negotiator Sylvia Baldwin said in a statement, referring to the Starbucks CEO.
“The company announced that I would only get a 2.5% raise next year, or $0.40 an hour. That’s almost nothing. One Starbucks drink a week. Starbucks is giving baristas who run Starbucks We need to invest,” she added.
A Starbucks spokesperson said Workers United representatives “prematurely ended this week’s bargaining session.”
Starbucks claimed that the company offers “competitive average salaries of more than $18 an hour and best-in-class benefits, including medical benefits, college tuition, paid family leave, and stock grants.” .
“Workers United’s proposal calls for an immediate 64% minimum wage increase for hourly partners and a 77% increase over the course of the three-year contract. This is not sustainable,” the company said.
Starbucks said it is willing to continue negotiations.
This comes after the Teamsters union announced Thursday that it will strike at several Amazon delivery facilities during the peak year-end delivery rush.
