Baristas who are part of a union in 65 Starbucks branches across the United States initiated a strike on Thursday to reinforce their efforts in reaching an agreement on wages and staffing through collective bargaining.
Since negotiations halted in December 2024, there have been no active discussions between the union and Starbucks. The latest economic proposal from Starbucks, presented in April, was rejected by union members, as stated on the Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) website.
Following the rejected proposal, Starbucks released a statement on April 25, expressing disappointment that the progress was undermined after extensive negotiations and numerous exchanged proposals with Workers United. The company highlighted that Workers United presented an incomplete framework for single-store contracts for voting delegates.
The strike involves over 1,000 Starbucks employees in 40 cities across the U.S., according to the union. The workers chose to strike on Red Cup Day, which marks the beginning of the coffee chain’s bustling holiday season.
The SBWU emphasized unmet demands by Starbucks, including concerns over understaffing and the need for wage increases. The union stressed the necessity to move forward and address these issues promptly.
Starbucks, on the other hand, expressed disappointment in the decision to strike instead of returning to negotiations. The company stated that less than 1% of its coffeehouses were facing disruptions due to the strike.
Key Requests
Among the demands highlighted by SBWU are unresolved issues related to understaffing and the request for wage hikes from Starbucks.
Starbucks acknowledged the progress made by the union but criticized the decision to strike, emphasizing the low representation of Workers United partners and the need to resume negotiations.
The SBWU highlighted the necessity for Starbucks to address their demands with viable proposals, stating that returning to the bargaining table without substantial progress is futile.
Since its inception in 2021 with the first unionized Starbucks shop in Buffalo, New York, the SBWU has expanded to represent thousands of baristas. Currently, around 550 out of 17,000 Starbucks locations in the U.S. are unionized with SBWU.
Barry Eidlin, a sociology professor at McGill University, attributed the union’s growth to its grassroots approach, which differs from traditional union strategies in recent years. While the outcome on wage and staffing issues remains uncertain, Eidlin commended the union’s significant achievements through bottom-up organizational efforts.
In September, numerous Starbucks locations in North America were closed, leading to the layoff of 900 non-retail employees.
CEO Brian Niccol explained the closures in an open letter, acknowledging the impact on partners and customers and emphasizing the community significance of Starbucks locations.
Canadian Perspective
The United Steelworkers (USW), representing Starbucks workers in Canada, announced that employees at five Ontario Starbucks outlets ratified their initial union-led