More than 10,000 Starbucks baristas, represented by Workers United, plan to strike in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle starting Friday morning during the busy holiday season.
The union, representing workers at 525 Starbucks locations across the U.S., warned that the strikes could intensify daily, potentially impacting hundreds of stores nationwide by Christmas Eve. The action aims to pressure Starbucks into finalizing a collective bargaining agreement.
In February, Starbucks and the union agreed on a framework to guide organizing and negotiations, which started in April. However, Workers United claims the company has failed to deliver a serious economic proposal despite publicly pledging to finalize contracts by year-end.
“Starbucks has not fulfilled its promises,” the union said in a Thursday statement. Starbucks has not yet commented on the matter.
Meanwhile, the coffee giant is undergoing a transformation under CEO Brian Niccol, who seeks to revive its “coffee house culture.” Plans include modernizing cafes, adding comfortable seating, simplifying the menu, and reducing wait times to under four minutes.
As tensions rise between the company and its workers, the looming strikes could disrupt operations during one of the busiest times of the year for Starbucks.
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