By Savyata Mishra, Gursimran Mehar and Renee Hickman
(Reuters) – Some members of the Starbucks (NASDAQ: ) union representing more than 10,000 baristas walked off the job in several U.S. cities on Friday, citing unresolved issues over wages, staffing and schedules.
The five-day strike, which began on Friday and shut down Starbucks cafes in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle, will continue to grow. in Columbus (WA:), Denver, and Pittsburgh through Saturday, the union said in a statement.
This is the latest in a series of labor actions that have grown rapidly across the service industries after workers in the auto, aerospace and rail industries won several contracts from employers.
At Starbucks, the Workers United union, which represents workers at 525 stores across the US, said late Thursday that the walkout would increase daily, and could reach “hundreds of stores” across the country by Christmas.
“It is estimated that 10 stores out of 10,000 stores managed by the company did not open today,” Starbucks said, adding that there was no significant impact on job retention on Friday.
About 20 people joined the picket line at a Starbucks on Chicago's north side, battered by snow and wind, but cheering as they honked at passing cars.
A few confused shoppers tried to enter the shuttered store before the protesters began chanting, but union member Shep Searl said the response was overwhelmingly positive.
Searl said 100% of the unionized workers at the Starbucks location in Chicago's Edgewater area are participating in the strike, and according to the workers, they have been subjected to many unfair practices including write-ups, “audience” meetings and firings. .
A union member said they made about $21 an hour and added, “that would be a lot of money in 2013”.
It's not enough pay, say the baristas, because of rising prices and the high cost of living in the big city, especially since they rarely get 40-hour work weeks.
STAFF SNUB OFFER
Negotiations between the company and Workers United began in April, based on a framework agreed in February, which could help resolve several legal disputes.
The company said on Thursday that it has held more than nine negotiation sessions with the union since April, and reached more than 30 agreements on “hundreds of topics”, including economic issues.
The Seattle-headquartered company has said it is ready to continue negotiations, demanding that union delegates end the bargaining session early this week.
The union, however, said in a Facebook (NASDAQ:) post on Friday that Starbucks had not yet made a difficult economic proposal with less than two weeks until the end of the contract.
Labor also rejected a promise of no immediate pay rise and a guarantee of 1.5% increases in future years.
“The proposals of the United Workers require an immediate increase in the minimum wage of partners per hour by 64%, and 77% over the life of the three-year contract. This is not sustainable,” said Starbucks on Friday.
Separately, the baristas union said on Friday it has filed a new labor charge at the coffee house, accusing Starbucks of “refusing to negotiate and engaging in bad faith negotiations” over economic issues.
Hundreds of complaints have been filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing Starbucks of illegal labor practices such as firing union patrons and closing stores during labor strikes. Starbucks has denied wrongdoing and said it respects workers' right to choose whether to unionize.
WORKING ON JIKO
Last month, the NLRB said Starbucks violated the law by telling workers at its Seattle cafe they would lose benefits if they joined a union.
“It's a walkout that happens during one of the busiest times of the year for Starbucks, which could amplify its impact while bringing unwanted public scrutiny to the company's operations,” said Emarketer analyst Rachel Wolff.
The coffee chain is undergoing a transformation under its newly appointed boss, Brian Niccol, who aims to restore “coffee house culture” by revamping cafes and simplifying its menu among other measures.
“Given how much Starbucks is already trying to win over customers, it can't afford any of the negative publicity — or impact on sales — that a strike would bring,” Wolff said.
The Starbucks workers' strike comes in the same week as Amazon.com (NASDAQ: ) workers at seven U.S. locations walked off the job Thursday, during the holiday shopping season.
There were 33 job cuts in 2023, the most since 2000, though significantly lower than in previous decades, data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics showed.