Starbucks Workers’ Union Begin Strike Across US Cities After Negotiations Hit A Pause: Report

The five-day strike began on Friday and resulted in Starbucks cafes closing down in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle. Further, more shutdowns are expected in cafes in Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Denver

The Workers United union, which represents employees at 525 stores across the US, late on Thursday said that walkouts would further speed up daily and could also reach ‘hundreds of stores’ across the country by Christmas Eve.

Source : Starbucks

Certain members of the Starbucks workers’ union walked off their jobs in protests in multiple cities across the US on Friday. The union represents more than 10,000 baristas. Citing unresolved issues about wages, schedules, and staffing, multiple members of the union walked out in protest.

The five-day strike began on Friday and resulted in Starbucks cafes closing down in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, reported Reuters. Further, more shutdowns are expected in cafes in Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Denver on Saturday, the union said via an official statement.

This development marked the latest in a series of labour actions that escalated across service industries after a period when workers in the aerospace, rail, and automotive industries won major concessions from employers.

The Workers United union, which represents employees at 525 stores across the US, late on Thursday said that walkouts would further speed up daily and could also reach ‘hundreds of stores’ across the country by Christmas Eve.

Starbucks noted, “It's estimated that 10 stores out of 10,000 company-operated stores did not open today.”

“Workers United proposals call for an immediate increase in the minimum wage of hourly partners by 64 per cent, and by 77 per cent over the life of a three-year contract. This is not sustainable,” Starbucks said on Friday.

Citing one of the union member, Shep Searl, the report said that workers have been facing several unfair labour practices such as write-ups, firings, and ‘captive-audience’ meetings. The union member said that they made about $21 an hour and noted that would have ‘been a great wage in 2013’.

The negotiations between the firm and the union began earlier in April. The beverage chain said that it is ready to continue discussions. Regarding the wage, the baristas argued that given inflation and the high cost of living in big cities, the wages are inadequate.