The walkouts in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle come after talks between the company and the workers’ union failed to produce an agreement on raises.According to The New York Times, baristas in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle went on strike Friday morning after contract negotiations between the company and the workers’ union failed to result in a satisfactory agreement on raises. The union, Workers United, stated that the strikes would spread to hundreds of stores by Christmas Eve if the company did not improve its wage offer.
The union represents baristas at over 500 company-owned stores in the United States, which is about 5% of the total number of stores in the country. The strike was called after a bargaining session this week did not result in better wage gains for the workers.
The strike affected approximately 10 to 15 stores in the three metropolitan areas, according to both union and company officials. Workers United stated that Starbucks proposed an economic package with no new wage increases for union baristas currently and only a guarantee of a 1.5% increase in future years. This guarantee would entitle unionized workers to a wage increase of 1.5% even if the company raises wages nationwide by less than that amount in the future. However, if the company raises wages by more, unionized workers would receive the higher amount.
Starbucks spokesperson Andrew Trull stated that union delegates ended negotiations prematurely and that it was disappointing they did not return to the table given the progress made so far. The article content could not be retrieved, and readers were asked to enable JavaScript in their browser settings. The Times also thanked readers for their patience while verifying access and reminded them to log into their account or subscribe for full access.
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