Starbucks Workers Plan Strikes Through Christmas Eve | Eater

"In 2024 the union grew across the U.S.: in October the 500th location unionized, and now there are over 525 stores in 45 states that have voted to unionize. The union agreed to begin bargaining in February, but negotiations have stalled — the union accuses the company of failing to present a viable economic proposal, despite the company’s insistence that they settle a contract by year-end, and has launched an unfair labor practice strike in response. SBWU has planned a series of escalating strikes beginning today and ending December 24; on December 20 workers walked off the job at 15 stores in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Chicago, with more locations announced later, and by December 23 stores in a dozen metro areas were on strike, including pickets in New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Denver, St. Louis, and Portland, Oregon — by Christmas Eve hundreds of stores could be on strike. Local walkouts began at a location in Burbank in Los Angeles, and in Chicago included one in Edgewater and one in Bucktown; workers are asking customers not to buy from any locations for the duration of the strike. Michelle Eisen, a Buffalo barista and bargaining delegate, emphasized executive pay and bargaining failures: “In September, Brian Niccol became CEO with a compensation package worth at least $113 million. It’s worth a shocking 10,000 times the median hourly wage for a barista,” and: “In October, we were ready to exchange comprehensive economic proposals. In October, November, and December, the company failed to bring viable economic proposals to the table that included real investment in baristas. This is backtracking on months and months of progress and promises from the company to work toward an end-of-year framework ratification. We’re ready to do what it takes to show the company the consequences of not keeping their promises to baristas.” In a statement to Eater the company said: “We are focused on enhancing the partner (employee) experience, with over $3 billion invested in the last three years. [The company] offers a competitive average pay of over $18 per hour, and best-in-class benefits,” including healthcare and paid family leave for baristas who work at least 20 hours a week, while also arguing that union proposals (which the union frames as a minimum of $20 an hour for baristas and $24.50 for shift supervisors) would be unsustainable — the company characterized Workers United proposals as calling for “an immediate increase in the minimum wage of hourly partners by 64%, and by 77% over the life of a three-year contract.” Bargaining has produced tentative agreements on paid parental leave and just-cause firing, but the union says the company “proposed an economic package with no new wage increases for union baristas now and a guarantee of only 1.5% in future years,” and has not resolved hundreds of outstanding unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB. Lynne Fox, President of Workers United, said: “After all [the company] has said about how they value partners throughout the system, we refuse to accept zero immediate investment in baristas’ wages and no resolution of the hundreds of outstanding unfair labor practices. Union baristas know their value, and they’re not going to accept a proposal that doesn’t treat them as true partners.” As bargaining delegates note, strikes have been staged during disruptive, high-revenue times in the past (including Red Cup Day); as delegate Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi put it: “Nobody wants to strike. It’s a last resort, but [the company] has broken its promise to thousands of baristas and left us with no choice. In a year when [the company] invested so many 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.”" - Jaya Saxena