Starbucks Workers Strike Expands to Over a Dozen Cities During Holiday Rush
Unionized baristas demand higher wages and better working conditions as negotiations with Starbucks stall, leading to closures at multiple locations nationwide.
- The five-day strike, organized by Starbucks Workers United, has now spread to more than a dozen cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, with additional participation in Boston, Dallas, and Portland as of Monday.
- Union demands include a 64% immediate wage increase, better staffing, and improved scheduling, while Starbucks has called these demands unsustainable and offered a 1.5% annual pay raise for unionized workers.
- Approximately 10,000 workers across 525 unionized stores are participating in the strike, which has led to the closure of at least 30 stores, though Starbucks claims the majority of its 11,000 U.S. locations remain operational.
- The timing of the strike, during Starbucks' busiest holiday season, poses potential risks to sales as the company faces declining customer traffic and unresolved labor disputes.
- Negotiations between the union and Starbucks, which began in April, remain deadlocked, with the union accusing Starbucks of bad-faith bargaining and failing to present a viable economic proposal.
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