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The Starbucks union is currently on strike in three cities, marking a significant escalation in their ongoing labor dispute with the coffee retailer. The Starbucks Workers United members conducted their initial strike in 13 months on Friday and intend to escalate the strike until Christmas Eve. This would be the union’s most significant work stoppage since the organizing campaign at the coffee retailer commenced three years ago.
The union has chosen Seattle, Chicago, and Los Angeles as the cities to initiate strikes on Friday, targeting key markets for the company. The goal is to extend the strike to hundreds of locations across the country by Christmas Eve unless Starbucks commits to negotiating its first union contract.
The Starbucks Workers United has been organizing store-by-store since December 2021, following the union’s victory in an inaugural union election in Buffalo. According to the National Labor Relations Board, the union has the right to represent 12,000 workers at 528 stores, with a decline in support at 100 stores, reflecting a fraction of Starbucks’ vast network of 11,200 company-operated stores in the United States.
The competition for the initial contract has been intense, with the union conducting a series of strikes at a subset of its represented stores since its initial strike at approximately 100 locations in November 2022. Despite the strikes, many stores were able to remain open as the company replaced striking workers with managers and workers from adjacent non-union stores. Only ten locations across three cities were unable to operate as usual on Friday.
Starbucks spokesperson Phil Gee assured that the store operations have not been significantly impacted, stating that the vast majority of US stores are operational and providing customers with their usual services. This strike marks the first significant action since November 2023, despite ongoing negotiations between the company and the union throughout the year.
Unlike some industry strikes that remain open-ended until an agreement is reached, the Starbucks Workers United has called for predetermined duration strikes against the company. This approach has become increasingly popular among US unions, achieving success in certain sectors. The union has been in negotiations with Starbucks management since February to establish a framework for resolving legal complaints and negotiating its initial labor agreement, but the management has reportedly failed to meet the terms of the agreement.
Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi, a bargaining delegate and Starbucks barista from Texas, emphasized that the strike is a last resort due to Starbucks’ failure to fulfill its commitment to baristas, despite investing heavily in executive talent. The union is determined to ensure that the company honors its obligations to its workers.
While Starbucks claims to offer competitive wages and benefits, the union argues that management’s recent actions have undermined the progress made in negotiations. The union is prepared to take further action to hold the company accountable for its promises to its employees.
The union has pointed to the generous compensation package given to new CEO Brian Niccol as evidence of the company’s ability to invest in its workers. Niccol, who joined Starbucks in September, was granted 332,000 shares of Starbucks stock, valued at $29.5 million as of Thursday’s close. This stark contrast between executive compensation and the company’s treatment of its front-line workers highlights the union’s persistence in demanding fair treatment for all Starbucks employees.
Overall, the ongoing strike by the Starbucks union reflects a broader trend of labor activism across various industries in the US. As the union continues to escalate its actions against the coffee retailer, the outcome of this dispute will have far-reaching implications for the future of labor relations within Starbucks and beyond.
