Starbucks is facing a major strike with unionized baristas calling for better pay and increased staffing. Customers might face picket lines on Thursday with the strike expecting to affect stores in at least 25 cities. This is the third strike to hit the company since the union Starbucks Workers United launched four years ago.
“Every single day at this company, as of recently, has been very, very difficult to be a barista,” said Michelle Eisen, a spokesperson for the union, which says it represents workers at more than 600 stores in the U.S. “You should not be evolving to the point of running your workers to the ground,” said Eisen, who worked as a barista for 15 years before leaving Starbucks this May.
Starbucks says it does not expect the strike to disrupt operations at the vast majority of its more than 10,000 company-operated stores in the U.S. The strike coincides with Starbucks’ red cup day, a major holiday sales event, bringing in increased scrutiny.
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In recent years, the company has faced consumer boycotts, as well as new competitors and backlash over high prices. Starbucks also recently announced restructuring efforts, cutting 900 jobs.
A union spokesperson said Starbucks has offered no pay raises in the first year of a contract, then 2% in the years following, which he said fails to account for inflation and the cost of healthcare. Baristas overwhelmingly voted down the contract offer in April.
The company, on the other hand, blames the union for stalled talks. The union’s demands for pay increases would “significantly affect store operations and customer experience,” Sara Kelly, the company’s chief partner officer, said in a statement last week. “When they’re ready to come back, we’re ready to talk,” Jaci Anderson, a spokesperson for Starbucks, said in a statement.
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“Any agreement needs to reflect the reality that Starbucks already offers the best job in retail,” she added, pointing to low staff turnover rates, and pay and benefits, that the company says add up to an average hourly wage of $30.
More than 100 lawmakers urged Starbucks to resume bargaining talks with Workers United in letters sent to CEO Brian Niccol on Monday. “It is clear that Starbucks has the money to reach a fair agreement with its workers,” the Senate letter, signed by 26 lawmakers, reads. “Starbucks must reverse course from its current posture, resolve its existing labor disputes, and bargain a fair contract in good faith with these employees.”
Lawmakers argued that Starbucks has the resources to increase workers’ pay and benefits, citing Niccol’s $95 million compensation since his hiring.