On Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024, a big strike at Starbucks is spreading to over 300 stores in the United States, with more than 5,000 workers walking off the job. The workers are part of the Starbucks Workers United Union, and this strike is expected to last for five days.
Starbucks has over 10,000 stores in the U.S., and although the union claims more than 290 stores were fully shut down, Starbucks says that 98% of its stores remained open on Christmas Eve. Only about 170 stores were closed that day.
The workers are upset about things like wages, staffing, and schedules and have been demanding changes. This strike is being called the biggest ever at Starbucks, with actions taking place in 12 major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and Seattle.
One barista from Oregon said, "These strikes are an initial show of strength, and we're just getting started." The workers want better pay and working conditions. They started the strike on Friday after negotiations between the company and the union didn’t go well.
The union represents workers in 525 stores across the country. The strike began after Starbucks and the union couldn't agree on a deal. Earlier this month, the workers’ union rejected an offer from Starbucks, which didn’t include immediate wage raises but promised a 1.5% increase in the future.
The company said that it is ready to negotiate again when the union is ready to come back to the bargaining table. However, Starbucks also mentioned that the workers ended the bargaining session prematurely.
Starbucks hasn’t commented on how much the strike is affecting its business operations. Sean Dunlop, an analyst from Morningstar, said that Starbucks was probably right in saying that the strike wouldn't have much of a financial impact in the short term.
In the meantime, the union says Starbucks has not offered any serious economic proposals to improve workers' pay or conditions.
