Starbucks baristas in the Pittsburgh area are striking out against what they call unfair labor practices

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Baristas in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle are organizing in response to what they see as unfair labor practices by Starbucks.

Now they are expanding to places like Columbus, Ohio and Pittsburgh.

Baristas are usually surrounded by the warmth of hot coffee inside, but on Saturday the definition of “cold brew” was different in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood.

“It’s kind of snowy,” Starbucks East Side shift supervisor Ally Peters said. “But you know, all the momentum and everything keeps us warm.”

Peters is part of a team of local Starbucks Workers United strikers who walked off outside the company’s Bloomfield location on Saturday. They are trying to go from song to contract.

“We’ve been at the negotiating table with the company for several months now,” Peters said.

The workers told KDKA-TV they believe Starbucks is not bargaining in good faith. They also protest what they claim were unfair labor practices on the part of Starbucks, such as union abolition.

“Starbucks wants us to move on from those things and the time when we weren’t in the place where we came together,” Peters said. “But how are we going to do that when they can’t keep that promise?”

A few signs were held criticizing the CEO of Starbucks. The holidays that were on the horizon weren’t lost on their minds either, with five sites now on strike.

In addition to Bloomfield, workers in Forbes and Atwood (Oakland), Amos Hall (Oakland), Craig Street and the East Side have also gone on strike.

“We’re hoping to close as many stores as we can — just to show the company that we’re the ones giving them their money … it’s us,” said Jake Whitney, shift supervisor at Starbucks’ East Side -location.

The honks of support vehicles and their drivers were plentiful on Liberty Avenue Saturday morning. People moving through tried to live up to the ethos of chants like “Get up! Get down! Pittsburgh is a Union city!”

“Seeing the community support is really encouraging for us, Whitney said.

And from support from raised fists to dogs with pins, people here say they’re encouraged.

“We want a contract, and the company says they want a contract, too,” Peters said. “So that’s what we’d like to see.”

Organizers say these strikes are supposed to extend every day until Christmas Eve unless Starbucks honors what the strikers say is their “commitment” to them.

Striking workers who spoke to KDKA-TV did not provide specific plans for what would happen after that time if a contract agreement is not reached.

Starbucks told KDKA-TV that delegates with Workers United “prematurely ended” the bargaining session the two sides had this week. It says it has held more than nine negotiating sessions over 20 days.

“We are focused on improving the partner (employee) experience, with over $3 billion invested in the last three years,” Starbucks spokesman Phil Gee said in a statement.

“Starbucks offers a competitive average wage of over $18 an hour and best-in-class benefits. Combined, they’re worth an average of $30 an hour for baristas who work at least 20 hours a week. Benefits include health care, free college tuition, paid family leave and company benefits No other dealer offers this kind of comprehensive salary and benefits package.

Starbucks also added that the striking workers are demanding an immediate minimum wage increase of 64% and a total increase of 77% over three years, something they call “not sustainable”.