Workers at Starbucks have gone on strike across major U.S. cities. The situation is believed to be a result of rising tension between the coffee brand and its employees. Organized by Starbucks Workers United, this is going to be a five-day demonstration running through Christmas Eve.
The movement began in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, and could potentially spread to hundreds of stores nationwide, as per reports.
The strikes have coincided with the busy holiday season. Starbucks has already launched its holiday offerings, such as festive drinks, Red Cups, and more to drive customer traffic. Disruptions in store operations during this period could affect the company’s holiday business.
Exploring the conflict between Starbucks and its baristas
The global coffee brand has a network of nearly 10,000 stores across the United States. It has faced calls for unionization since 2021 that have increased gradually. Workers at 535 company-owned stores have voted to unionize under Starbucks Workers United.
Despite this, progress on a labor agreement by the brand has reportedly not been remarkable. Earlier this year, both parties returned to the negotiating table. However, recent months again saw setbacks, strikers say.
Key points of conflict between the two parties include pay increases, and resolving unfair labor practice charges. These are filed with the National Labor Relations Board. Union representatives claim that Starbucks has failed to stand on its commitment to finalize a labor agreement.
An X (formerly Twitter) post from the official handle of Starbucks Workers United (@SBWorkersUnited) announced the strike. It read,
"TWAS THE STRIKE BEFORE CHRISTMAS! Starbucks baristas are going on five days of escalating ULP strikes in response to the company backtracking on our promised path forward, starting tomorrow in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle... and soon, from coast-to-coast."
The union also shed light on the context of this strike in the comment section of the post, saying:
"Since February, Starbucks has repeatedly pledged publicly that they intended to reach contracts by the end of the year - but they’ve yet to present workers with a serious economic proposal."
They added,
"This week, less than two weeks before their end-of-year deadline, Starbucks proposed no immediate wage increase for union baristas, and a guarantee of only 1.5% wage increases in future years. Our unfair labor practice (ULP) strikes will begin Friday morning and escalate each day through Christmas Eve... unless Starbucks honors our commitment to work towards a foundational framework."
The first day of the ULP strike by baristas created waves in the industry, and social media. Being met with notable support, they are also gearing up for the second day of this movement. More locations will be participating this time, including Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and Denver, among others.
An X post was also dropped by the union, detailing the time and locations of the second wave of their strike. The post was captioned:
"Day 1 was amazing... but wait until you see day 2. Here's today's anchor pickets! While more stores are going on ULP strike today, workers want you to join these pickets."
On the other hand, the company responds that they are ready to resume negotiations with the workers.
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