More than 300 stores in 45 states were affected, the union says

On By Littum

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Starbucks workers across the country stepped up an ongoing strike Tuesday, expanding to include 300 stores in 45 states, the employees’ union told USA TODAY.

The five-day strike began Friday, initially closing Starbucks locations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle before spreading to cafes in New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Denver, Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio, according to Starbucks Workers United.

Now more than 5,000 workers plan to walk off the job on Christmas Eve.

Dubbed by the union “The Strike Before Christmas,” the walkout comes as Starbucks and union representatives failed to reach an agreement after making some progress in the early months of 2024. The union said it was involved in “hundreds of hours of negotiations” and the company ultimately presented the workers with a package that did not meet its wage or working conditions.

The economic package did not include a current wage increase for union baristas and promised a 1.5% bump in pay in future years, equal to less than 50 cents for most workers, the union said in a news release shared with USA TODAY.

“I get paid $15.49 an hour as a barista … Half the baristas in my shop drive 30 minutes one way because they can’t afford to live closer to work,” said Ashland, Oregon barista Lauren Hollingsworth in a press release. “It’s absurd. Starbucks has lost its way. We know because we see it every day in our stores.”

Starbucks says ‘few disruptions’ will not affect operations

The days before Christmas are traditionally one of Starbucks’ busiest times of the year, the union said. This year, they are dominated by what the union calls the largest strike in Starbucks history to date.

Starbucks spokesman Phil Gee said the “few disruptions” are expected to have a “very limited impact” on business operations.

In a statement shared with USA TODAY on Tuesday, Starbucks said only about 170 stores did not open as scheduled Tuesday morning and that 98% of stores with more than 200,000 Green Apron partners continued to operate and serve customers.

“We respect our partners’ right to engage in lawful strike activity, and we appreciate the thousands of partners across the country who continue to support each other and deliver the Starbucks experience to our customers,” Gee released in a statement obtained by USA TODAY got. Monday.

“The union chose to walk away from negotiations last week. We are ready to continue negotiations when the union comes back to the negotiating table,” it said.

Hundreds of shops join union action

Late last week, Starbucks Workers United warned that the strike could reach “hundreds of stores” by Christmas Eve. Union representatives said 98% of union partners recently voted to protest low wages, staffing issues and benefits.

Starbucks Workers United represents employees in 525 of Starbucks’ 11,000 stores nationwide, accounting for 11,000 of Starbucks’ approximately 200,000 total employees. By 2024, over 100 stores voted to join the union, including six new ones this week in Maine, North Carolina, Texas, New York City and Seattle.

The union said Tuesday that its representatives are ready to return to the bargaining table to address its concerns about unfair labor practices and wages.

Starbucks has been the subject of hundreds of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) complaints in recent years, including one resolved last year in which the company was found to have committed “hundreds of unfair labor practices” during unionization efforts at its stores in Buffalo, New York. .