The Starbucks strike is expanding. Begun last Friday in Seattle, Chicago and Los Angeles, by Christmas Eve, Tuesday, Dec. 24, it had spread to locations in 43 states, including New York and the entire metropolitan area. The numbers, however, are mixed.
Starbucks Workers United said that out of 525 outlets covered by the union, 300 locations were closed and 5,000 baristas had joined the protest. The Seattle-based giant, on the other hand, sent a statement to CBS MoneyWatch claiming that only 170 locations had not opened–about 2 percent of the total–and that 200,000 workers “continued to serve customers over the holidays.”
The company’s employees began protesting that Starbucks management would not meet its February pledge to reach an agreement with the union by the end of 2024. Starbucks Workers United is demanding that wages for union-member baristas be increased by 64 percent and 77 percent over the course of a three-year contract and that the coffee giant resolve hundreds of union files filed with the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency that advocates for workers’ rights.
Starbucks responded that negotiations were broken off without notice and prematurely by the union, and that employees already enjoy back pay and $30 benefits to those who work at least 20 hours a week. “We are prepared to continue negotiations when the union comes back to our table,” said Sara Kelly, executive vice president and chief partner office at Starbucks.
