A Starbucks barista strike is expanding to some 5,000 workers at what organizers said was more than 300 stores in 45 states, just as the company's busy holiday stretch begins.
Though it still only represents approximately 3% of all U.S. Starbucks locations, it's an expansion of an action that began last week in three cities.
Organized by the Service Employees International Union and Starbucks Workers United, the strike aims to draw attention to alleged unfair labor practices and stalled negotiations over a contract that would cover thousands of workers. The workers are seeking an immediate increase in Starbucks' minimum hourly wage by as much as 64%, and over 77% over the life of a three-year contract.
“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," Lynne Fox, president of the Workers Union, said in a statement. "Baristas know their value, and they’re not going to accept a proposal that doesn’t treat them as true partners.”
Starbucks said only around 170 Starbucks stores did not open as planned. With over 10,000 company operated stores, it said, 98% of its stores and nearly 200,000 employees continued to work as normal.
In a memo to employees posted by the company, a Starbucks executive called the union's demands "not sustainable," while touting the overall benefits package workers can receive, noting employees who work at least 20 hours a week receive $30 an hour, on average, when combining pay and benefits.
"The union chose to walk away from bargaining last week," said Sara Kelly, Starbucks' executive vice president. "We are ready to continue negotiations when the union comes back to the bargaining table."
Starbucks enjoyed a surge in investor sentiment after it poached Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol to be head of the coffee chain in August, though its share price has since declined in recent weeks alongside the broader market pullback.
Niccol has pledged to negotiate with the union in good faith, though his previous tenure at the burrito chain was marked by at least two settlements with workers demanded by the National Labor Relations Board.
