Starbucks Baristas' 'Pre-Christmas Strike' Hits Hundreds of U.S. Stores

Starbucks' union reports that workers are staging walkouts at hundreds of stores across numerous cities on Tuesday, marking the final planned day of what it has dubbed the strike before Christmas.

Starbucks baristas at over 300 stores have walked off the job, demanding that Starbucks negotiate a fair contract nationwide, Starbucks Workers United (SBU) announced in an Instagram post, describing it as the largest unfair labor practices strike in the company's history.

Workers United informed NPR that nearly 300 locations across 45 states were fully shut down by midday Tuesday due to the strike. In contrast, Starbucks provided a different account, stating that approximately 170 stores were unable to open as a result of the labor action.

The union states that the strike is a response to Starbucks reneging on its commitment to establish a foundational framework for collective bargaining and resolving outstanding unfair labor practices litigation by the year's end.

Our unfair labor practice (ULP) strikes will begin Friday morning and escalate daily through Christmas Eve unless Starbucks honors its commitment to work toward a foundational framework, the union stated last week.

The strike began Friday in three cities: Los Angeles, Seattle, and Chicago.

Since then, it has expanded daily, now including stores in Boston, Buffalo, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Seattle, and San Jose.

Starbucks reported on Monday that around 60 stores nationwide were closed due to the strike but emphasized that the "overwhelming majority" of its more than 10,000 U.S. locations remained unaffected. The company noted that some stores closed over the weekend had already reopened.

"The public conversation may lack the important context that the vast majority of our stores (97-99%) will continue to operate and serve customers, with a very limited impact on our overall operations," Executive Vice President Sara Kelly stated.

Meanwhile, the union is urging customers to boycott Starbucks locations during the strike and to join picket lines in support of workers.

Starbucks Workers United (SWU), which unionized in 2021, represents approximately 10,000 employees across 535 U.S. stores. The union achieved a significant milestone in February when Starbucks committed to collaborating on a labor agreement and resolving litigation by the end of the year.

However, with these issues still unresolved ahead of the final scheduled bargaining session of 2024, an overwhelming 98% of union members voted last week to authorize a strike. The strike aims to protest hundreds of unresolved unfair labor practice (ULP) charges and push for a strong foundational framework for union contracts.

The union acknowledged that both sides have participated in hundreds of hours of bargaining and reached dozens of tentative agreements in recent months.

However, it pointed out that hundreds of complaints alleging unfair labor practices by Starbucks — including retaliatory firings — remain unresolved, with more than $100 million in legal liabilities still pending. Additionally, the union criticized the company for failing to present a comprehensive economic package during negotiations.

Starbucks' latest proposal offered no immediate wage increase for unionized baristas and guaranteed only a 1.5% annual wage increase in future years. The union criticized the offer as insulting, particularly in light of the salary of the company's new CEO, who assumed the role in September.

This year, Starbucks allocated $113 million to CEO Brian Niccol's compensation package, even as baristas' wages fail to keep pace with inflation, the union stated. Workers often struggle to secure enough hours to qualify for benefits and cover their bills. Starbucks needs to prioritize investing in the workers who keep their stores running.

Ruby Walters, a Starbucks employee in Columbus, shared from the picket line with WOSU over the weekend that many workers face similar challenges. The company doesn’t provide enough resources—not only to improve our lives at home but also to meet the demands of the job, Walters said.

As far as I'm concerned, what we're fighting for isn't just about us, Walters added. It's for all Starbucks workers across the country.

Kelly, the Starbucks executive, stated that the union's proposals would result in an immediate 64% increase to the hourly minimum wage and a 77% increase over three years, which she dismissed as unrealistic.

These proposals are not sustainable, especially considering the investments we continually make in our benefits package, which set us apart as an employer and are a source of pride for those of us who work at Starbucks, she said.

According to Starbucks, these benefits include health care, free college tuition, paid family leave, and company stock grants. The company also emphasized that, combined with average pay, these benefits amount to an average of $30 per hour for the majority of baristas working at least 20 hours per week.

Workers United, however, disputes Starbucks' characterization of its wage increase proposals. Michelle Eisen, a bargaining delegate and 14-year Starbucks barista in Buffalo, N.Y., called it "false and misleading, and they know it.

We are ready to finalize a framework that includes new investments in baristas during the first year of contracts, Eisen told NPR.

The union is seeking a base wage of at least $20 per hour for all baristas, with annual 5% raises, cost-of-living adjustments, enrollment in a Starbucks-sponsored retirement plan, more consistent schedules, improved paid leave protocols, and better healthcare, among other demands.

As the four-day strike nears its end, the union is calling on Starbucks to present a serious economic offer at the bargaining table.

In response, the company said the union prematurely ended the most recent bargaining session and urged the union to return to negotiations.

The union chose to walk away from bargaining last week, Kelly said. We are ready to continue negotiations when the union returns to the bargaining table.