Starbucks Workers Plan Strikes Through Christmas Eve

Starbucks Workers United says the company isn’t bargaining in good faith. So they’re rolling out strikes around the country just in time for the holidays.

In 2024, Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) grew across the U.S.: In October, the 500th Starbucks location unionized, and now there are over 525 stores in 45 states who have voted to unionize. And in February, Starbucks finally agreed to bargain with the union, but negotiations have stalled — SBWU has accused the company of failing to present a viable economic proposal, despite the company’s insistence that they settle the contract by the end of the year. In response, the union is going on an unfair labor practice strike across the country.

SBWU has planned a series of escalating strikes, beginning today and ending December 24. On December 20, workers walked off the job at 15 stores in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Chicago, with the union announcing more locations across the country on subsequent days. On Monday, December 23, stores in a dozen metro areas were on strike, including pickets in New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Denver, and St. Louis. By Christmas Eve, hundreds of stores could be on strike.

In LA, strikes began at a location in Burbank, and in Chicago, striking locations include one in Edgewater and one in Bucktown.

“In September, Brian Niccol became CEO with a compensation package worth at least $113 million. It’s worth a shocking 10,000 times the median hourly wage for a barista,” Michelle Eisen, a Buffalo Starbucks barista and bargaining delegate, said in a press release. “In October, we were ready to exchange comprehensive economic proposals. In October, November, and December, Starbucks failed to bring viable economic proposals to the table that included real investment in baristas. This is backtracking on months and months of progress and promises from the company to work toward an end-of-year framework ratification. We’re ready to do what it takes to show the company the consequences of not keeping their promises to baristas.”

In a statement, Starbucks told Eater: “We are focused on enhancing the partner (employee) experience, with over $3 billion invested in the last three years. Starbucks offers a competitive average pay of over $18 per hour, and best-in-class benefits,” including things like healthcare and paid family leave for baristas who work at least 20 hours a week. However, understaffing and a lack of consistent schedules is one of the many issues SBWU is bargaining for, as workers say Starbucks keeps slashing hours, keeping many workers from accessing these benefits.

The statement continues: “Workers United proposals call for an immediate increase in the minimum wage of hourly partners by 64%, and by 77% over the life of a three-year year contract. This is not sustainable.” According to its website, SBWU is asking for a minimum of $20 an hour for baristas, and $24.50 for shift supervisors.

After the departure of former CEO Howard Schultz, who testified about his anti-union stance before Congress, the company has seemingly become more willing to engage with unionized workers. In March 2023, Schultz was replaced by Laxman Narasimhan, who despite being more amenable to the union, still held the line that “a direct relationship with our partners is the best way forward.” This September, Narasimhan was replaced by Niccol, who explicitly committed to bargaining with the union. “I deeply respect the right of our partners to choose, through a fair and democratic process, to be represented by a union,” Niccol wrote in an open letter. “If our partners choose to be represented, I am committed to making sure we engage constructively and in good faith with the union and the partners it represents.”

In its statement to Eater, Starbucks said: “Workers United delegates prematurely ended our bargaining session this week. It is disappointing they didn’t return to the table given the progress we’ve made to date. Since April we’ve held more than nine bargaining sessions over 20 days. We’ve reached over thirty (30) meaningful agreements on hundreds of topics Workers United delegates told us were important to them, including many economic issues.”

The union has made strides in bargaining this year, tentatively agreeing with the company on paid parental leave and just cause firing. But according to the SBWU, “Starbucks proposed an economic package with no new wage increases for union baristas now and a guarantee of only 1.5% in future years,” which workers say is unacceptable in the current economic climate. It also says the company hasn’t moved on resolving hundreds of outstanding unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB.

“After all Starbucks has said about how they value partners throughout the system, we refuse to accept zero immediate investment in baristas’ wages and no resolution of the hundreds of outstanding unfair labor practices,” said Lynne Fox, President of Workers United, in a statement. “Union baristas know their value, and they’re not going to accept a proposal that doesn’t treat them as true partners.”

SBWU has staged strikes during disruptive times for Starbucks before, including on Red Cup Day, historically one of the company’s most profitable days. “Nobody wants to strike. It’s a last resort, but Starbucks has broken its promise to thousands of baristas and left us with no choice,” barista and bargaining delegate Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi said in a statement. “In a year when Starbucks invested so many millions in top executive talent, it has failed to present the baristas who make its company run with a viable economic proposal. This is just the beginning. We will do whatever it takes to get the company to honor the commitment it made to us in February.”

Update: December 20, 2024, 3:00 p.m.: This article was updated to include comment from Starbucks.
Update: December 23, 2024, 9:15 a.m.: This article was updated to include an expanded list of strike locations.