Starbucks CEO Brian Nichol tells FOX Business why the company increased its parental leave benefits.
Starbucks answers as some of that Union workers Starbucks baristas lined up on Friday after the United Workers (SBWU) voted to authorize a strike earlier this week.
according to Coffee chainthe union is seeking a salary increase that is “unsustainable.”
Starbucks says pay raises for its union workers are “unsustainable.” (Joe Rudel/Getty Images/Getty Images)
| tick tick | security | the last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gender | Starbucks company | 101.51 | -0.95 |
-0.93% |
“The United Workers' proposals call for immediate minimum wage increases for hourly associates of 64 percent and 77 percent over the course of the three-year contract,” Starbucks said in a statement. “This is not sustainable.”
According to Starbucks, the average wage for its workers is now more than $18 an hour and, with benefits, is worth more than $30 an hour.
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The company added: We are ready to continue negotiations to reach an agreement. “We need the union to return to the negotiating table.”
SBWU members Voted to authorize the strike On Tuesday, on the eve of a meeting between the union and the company for further negotiations.
Union Starbucks locations in Los Angeles, Seattle and Chicago set up picket lines Friday, and the strike will intensify and spread to more stores nationwide by Christmas Eve.
Thousands of Starbucks workers at more than 525 SBWU-owned stores.
“There has been no significant impact on our store operations,” a Starbucks spokeswoman said in a statement Friday. They usually provide services to customers.” ”
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The union and Starbucks began working on a “fundamental framework” in April, and the parties met as recently as September. That meeting happened shortly after Brian Nicol He became the CEO of a chain of coffee houses.
Charlotte, North Carolina Starbucks Coffee Baristas make drinks behind the counter. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Pictures Group via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Nicol announced Monday that the company will extend paid parental leave to employees at U.S. stores who work at least an average of 20 hours per week. will “more than double”. These extended benefits, which include up to 18 weeks for birth parents and up to 12 weeks for non-birth parents, take effect in the spring.
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The company's workforce totaled about 361,000 at the end of September, including 211,000 in the United States in Starbucks-operated stores, corporate support and other areas.
FOX Business's Aislin Murphy and Reuters contributed to this report.