The union representing Starbucks (SBUX, Financial) baristas announced a five-day strike starting Friday due to stalled negotiations. The strike will affect unionized Starbucks stores in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, representing over 500 company-operated locations in the U.S. The decision follows Starbucks' failure to immediately raise wages for union baristas. Since the first unionized store in December 2021, negotiations on wages and work conditions have been intense. This strike is the first since February when talks resumed, with more stores expected to join before Christmas.
Starbucks stated that the union ended talks prematurely this week and expressed willingness to continue negotiations. The company claims to have reached meaningful agreements on over 30 worker issues, offering an average hourly wage of $30 for baristas working 20 hours weekly. However, the union argues that comprehensive economic proposals are lacking and unresolved labor complaints persist since 2022.
