The strike at Starbucks expands to more than 300 U.S. stores on Tuesday, with nearly 5,000 workers expected to join the five-day labor action that ends later in the day, according to the employee union.
Workers at more than 60 stores left their jobs in 12 major cities on Monday, and the Christmas Eve expansion was expected to be the largest yet by the Starbucks Labor Union, which represents workers at 525 stores across the country.
“Half the baristas in my shop drive 30 minutes one way because they can’t live near work,” Lauren Hollingsworth, a barista from Ashland, Oregon, said in a union statement. These strikes are an initial show of force. She added.
Five-day strike It started on Fridayand operate it during the holiday shopping season, and Expanded to include More stores in additional cities over the weekend, with workers protesting the lack of progress in contract talks with the Seattle-based company.
According to the union, the company failed to fulfill its commitment made in February to reach a labor agreement this year.
Starbucks has proposed an economic package with no new wage increases for unionized baristas now and a 1.5% increase in the coming years, the union said Friday.
Starbucks said the labor union prematurely ended discussions this week. The coffee chain said its pay and benefits are already $30 an hour for those who work at least 20 hours a week.
The union also wants Starbucks to resolve outstanding legal issues, including hundreds of unfair labor practice charges that workers have filed with the National Labor Relations Board. The agency also opened or settled hundreds of charges against Amazon. On Thursday, the day before Starbucks, the truckers unionized Declared strikes At seven Amazon fulfillment centers.
Starbucks did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
