A walkout by Starbucks baristas expanded on Tuesday, as more workers joined the five-day labor action against the coffee giant, which will end later in the day.
The Seattle-based company and Starbucks Workers United, the union that represents employees at 525 stores across the country, provided conflicting estimates of the number of locations affected.
Starbucks Workers United reported that over 5,000 baristas walked off the job on Tuesday, closing over 300 stores in 43 states.
However, Starbucks stated that approximately 170 Starbucks locations did not open as planned on Tuesday, Christmas Eve. With over 10,000 company-operated stores, 98% of Starbucks locations remained open, staffed by nearly 200,000 employees who are “continuing to serve customers during the holidays,” according to an emailed statement sent to CBS MoneyWatch on Tuesday.
“Half the baristas in my store drive 30 minutes one way because they can’t afford to live closer to work,” said Lauren Hollingsworth, a barista from Ashland, Oregon, in a union statement. “These strikes are an initial show of strength,” she told reporters.
Workers walked out of all three Starbucks locations in Cheyenne, Wyoming, as well as the flagship roasteries in New York City and Seattle, according to the union. There was also a 24-hour picket line at the Seattle Roastery.
The walkouts began on Friday, coinciding with the holiday shopping season, and spread to more stores in additional cities over the weekend, with employees protesting a lack of progress in contract negotiations with the company. Workers at more than 60 stores in 12 major cities walked out on Monday, with the Christmas Eve strike being the largest yet, according to the union.
According to the labor group, baristas went on strike Tuesday in 43 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Vermont.
Where the Starbucks strikes are taking place
Baristas have walked picket lines and closed Starbucks locations in 13 metro areas in recent days, according to the union. This includes locations in:
- Boston
- Chicago
- Columbus, Ohio
- Denver
- Los Angeles
- New York City
- Philadelphia
- Pittsburgh
- Portland, Oregon
- Seattle
- St. Louis
- Tucson
The active picket lines planned for Tuesday include the following ten locations, according to the union:
- Atlanta 10830 Haynes Bridge Road, Alpharetta, GA 12 p.m. ET
- Buffalo, N.Y. 933 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 12 p.m. EST
- Chicago 5964 N Ridge Ave, Chicago, IL 12 p.m. CST
- Columbus, Ohio 88 East Broad St, Columbus OH 43215 12 p.m. EST
- Dallas 2300 S Loop 288 Denton,TX 12 p.m. CST
- Los Angeles 3241 N Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 10 a.m. PST
- NYC: Manhattan 444 Broadway, New York, NY 12 p.m. EST
- Philadelphia 1528 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 9 a.m. EST
- Portland 720 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 12 p.m. PST
- Seattle Pike Street Roastery, 1124 Pike St, Seattle, WA 1 p.m. PST
According to the union, the company failed to keep a promise made in February to reach a labor agreement this year.
Starbucks proposed an economic package that includes no new wage increases for unionized baristas this year and a 1.5% increase in future years, the union said Friday.
Starbucks stated that Workers United prematurely ended discussions this week. The coffee chain stated that its pay and benefits are already worth $30 per hour for those who work at least 20 hours per week.
“We are ready to continue negotiations when the union returns to the bargaining table,” said Sara Kelly, Starbucks’ executive vice president and chief partner office, in a statement posted by the company Monday.
The union also wants Starbucks to resolve outstanding legal issues, such as hundreds of unfair labor practice charges filed by workers with the National Labor Relations Board. The agency has also filed or settled hundreds of charges against Amazon. On Thursday, a day before the Starbucks walkouts, the Teamsters union announced strikes at seven Amazon delivery centers.
