Dec. 20, 2024 | Source: MyNorthwest
Starbucks baristas in Seattle, Los Angeles, and Chicago initiated a five-day strike on Friday, Dec. 20, following the breakdown of contract negotiations earlier this week.
The strike, organized by Starbucks Workers United, is expected to last until Dec. 24 and could potentially expand to hundreds of stores nationwide by Christmas Eve. The union alleges that Starbucks management prematurely ended a bargaining session earlier this week, an accusation the company has denied.
Starbucks Workers United represents over 11,000 baristas across 500 stores in 45 states and the District of Columbia.
Union delegate and barista Michelle Eisen emphasized the need for better pay and working conditions, contrasting these demands with the compensation of Starbucks’ new CEO, Brian Niccol. Niccol’s salary is listed at $1.6 million annually, alongside a $10 million signing bonus and $75 million in stock options to account for the forfeiture of his Chipotle equity.
“I have a hard time believing that the CEO of this company works 10,000 times harder than I do, or any one of these baristas does on this floor,” Eisen told Bloomberg News.
In response, Starbucks stated it remains ready to continue negotiations.
“Workers United delegates prematurely ended our bargaining session this week. It is disappointing they didn’t return to the table given the progress we’ve made to date,” the company said in a prepared statement obtained by KIRO 7. “Since April, we’ve held more than nine bargaining sessions over 20 days. We’ve reached over 30 meaningful agreements on hundreds of topics Workers United delegates told us were important to them, including many economic issues.”