Starbucks barista strike widens as workers demand pay raises

A Starbucks barista strike expands to include about 5,000 workers in what organizers said was more than 300 stores in 45 states, just as the company’s busy holiday stretch begins.

While that still only represents about 3% of all U.S. Starbucks locations, it’s an expansion of an action that began last week in three cities.

Organized by the Service Employees International Union and Starbucks Workers United, the strike aims to draw attention to alleged unfair labor practices and stalled negotiations on a contract that would cover thousands of workers. The workers are seeking an immediate increase in Starbucks’ minimum hourly wage of a whopping 64% and more than 77% over the life of a three-year contract.

“After everything Starbucks has said about how they value partners throughout the system, we refuse to accept zero immediate investment in barista wages and no resolution to the hundreds of outstanding unfair labor practices,” Workers Union President Lynne Fox said in a statement “Baristas know their worth, and they won’t accept a proposal that doesn’t treat them as true partners.”

Starbucks said only about 170 Starbucks stores did not open as planned. With over 10,000 company-operated stores, it said, 98% of its stores and nearly 200,000 employees continued to operate as normal.

In one note to employees posted by the company, a Starbucks executive called the union’s demands “not sustainable” while highlighting the overall benefits workers can receive, noting that employees who work at least 20 hours a week receive $30 an hour on average , when they combine salary and benefits.

“The union chose to walk away from negotiations last week,” said Sara Kelly, Starbucks executive vice president. “We are ready to continue negotiations when the union comes back to the bargaining table.”

Starbucks enjoyed a boost in investor satisfaction after it tapped Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol to head the coffee chain in August, though its share price has since fallen in recent weeks along with the broader market pullback.

Niccol has promised to negotiate with the union in good faith, although his previous tenure at the burrito chain was marked by at least two settlements with workers demanded by the National Labor Relations Board.