Workers at Starbucks are set to walk off the job this Friday in three U.S. cities, signaling a potential nationwide strike amid the critical holiday shopping season leading up to Christmas.
The planned strike will initially impact stores in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Starbucks’ home city of Seattle. It follows a similar walkout by Amazon workers during the crucial final shopping days of the festive period. Starbucks Workers United, representing baristas at hundreds of locations nationwide, cited stalled negotiations as the reason for the action, calling on the company to improve pay and working conditions.
“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,” Texas barista Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi said in a union press release.
The strike, which the union claims will expand to more locations each day until Tuesday, comes as Starbucks faces stagnant sales in key markets. Brian Niccol, who joined as CEO this year, was tasked with reversing declining quarterly revenue, which fell 3% to $9 billion globally.
“In September, Brian Niccol became CEO with a compensation package worth at least $113 million,” union member Michelle Eisen stated, pointing out the vast disparity between executive pay and barista wages.
The union accused Starbucks of failing to engage in productive negotiations and warned of escalating action if the company doesn’t address demands.
“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. “Union baristas know their value, and they’re not going to accept a proposal that doesn’t treat them as true partners.”
