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starbucks workers united
Starbucks Strike Expands to 300+ US Stores as Workers Demand a Just Contract
"SBWU is demanding the company present us with a serious economic offer at the bargaining table," the group wrote. "Workers shouldn't struggle to pay their bills while working for one of the biggest fast-food corporations in the world."
"If Starbucks wants to put their money where their mouth is," SBWU added, "it's time to invest in WORKERS the way they're investing in rich CEOs. We demand Starbucks bargain a fair contract!"
Over 5,000 Starbucks workers have walked off the job so far as part of the latest strikes, according to one organizer.
Starbucks employees and supporters rally outside of a Starbucks store on December 23, 2024 in New York City. (Photo: Adam Gray/Getty Images)
Since the groundbreaking victory in Buffalo, New York just over three years ago, the Starbucks union movement has expanded to more than 500 stores across the U.S., with over 11,000 baristas organizing in the face of aggressive and often illegal opposition from the company's management.
Unionized Starbucks workers are demanding a base wage of at least $20 an hour for baristas, with an elevated wage floor in high-cost-of-living areas and annual inflation adjustments.
They're also calling for healthcare benefit improvements, protections against union-busting, and "a fair process to obtain consistent schedules."
SBWU said Tuesday that the Christmas Eve walkouts mark the largest-ever unfair labor practice strike at Starbucks, and the organization urged customers and allies to boycott the company for the duration of the actions.
"Spread the word—and friends don't let friends cross the picket line!" SBWU wrote on social media.
'No Contract, No Coffee': Starbucks Workers Launch Five Days of Strikes
SBWU said the strikes are a response to Starbucks "backtracking on our promised path forward." In February, the two sides agreed to "begin discussions on a foundational framework designed to achieve both collective bargaining agreements for represented stores and partners."
But SBWU said late Thursday that the company—which repeatedly violated labor law in its bid to crush a union movement that has spread widely since 2021—has "yet to present workers with a serious economic proposal."
"This week, less than two weeks before their end-of-year deadline," SBWU said, "Starbucks proposed no immediate wage increase for union baristas, and a guarantee of only 1.5% wage increases in future years."
The strikes are expected to ramp up daily through Christmas Eve unless Starbucks "honors our commitment to work towards a foundational framework," SBWU said.
Striking baristas are also asking allies to help bolster organizing efforts at Starbucks by "hosting small flyering events at not-yet- union stores" during the five days of walkouts.
Friday's walkouts come as Amazon workers are also striking at multiple delivery hubs across the country over the e-commerce giant's refusal to engage in contract negotiations.
Earlier this week, unionized Starbucks workers voted overwhelmingly in support of authorizing a strike to protest the company's alleged unfair labor practices and to set the stage for a strong contract.
"It's time to finalize a foundational framework that includes meaningful investments in baristas and to resolve unfair labor practice charges," Silvia Baldwin, a Philadelphia barista and bargaining delegate, said in a statement. "Starbucks can't get back on track as a company until it finalizes a fair contract that invests in its workforce."
"Right now, I'm making $16.50 an hour," she added. "Meanwhile, [new Starbucks CEO] Brian Niccol's compensation package is worth $57,000 an hour. The company just announced I'm only getting a 2.5% raise next year, $0.40 an hour, which is hardly anything. It's one Starbucks drink per week. Starbucks needs to invest in the baristas who make Starbucks run."
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