Unions are putting pressure on the coffee giant. Many Starbucks baristas have been on strike in the United States since Friday, December 20, to protest the lack of progress in contract negotiations with the company, reports CBS News.
The strikes began in Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle, before spreading on Saturday to stores in Denver, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Columbus, ultimately affecting no fewer than 50 stores located in eleven states across the country, according to a press release. provided by Starbucks Workers United, the union that represents employees at 535 company-owned U.S. stores as of 2021.
According to the union, the company has not honored a commitment made in February to reach a labor agreement this year. For now, Starbucks has proposed an economic plan with no new pay raises for unionized baristas and a 1.5% increase in coming years, the union said Friday.
Starbucks Workers United said it hoped to reach an agreement on contract negotiations before the new year, but said Starbucks management had “yet to present workers with a serious economic proposal.”
“After everything Starbucks has said about the value it places on partners throughout the system, we refuse to accept an immediate zero investment in barista wages and no resolution on the hundreds of outstanding unfair labor practices” , he denounces, while specifying that Starbucks “has invested millions of dollars for high-level executives”.
“Strikes are expected to continue through Christmas Eve,” Starbucks Workers United said. “The last days before Christmas are traditionally one of the busiest times of year for Starbucks customers. The union told CNN the strike could reach “hundreds” of stores this Tuesday.
“Workers United delegates prematurely ended our bargaining session this week. It is disappointing that they have not returned to the negotiating table given the progress we have made so far,” Phil Glee, a Starbucks spokesperson, told the Guardian.
But the latter specified that the union's proposals received by management “call for an immediate increase in the minimum salary of hourly partners by 64%, and by 77% over the duration of a three-year contract.” “It’s not viable,” he lamented, specifying that he remains open to negotiation. “We are ready to continue negotiations to reach an agreement. We need the union to return to the bargaining table. »
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