Starbucks labor force activates a work stoppage in three urban areas.
The industrial action is set to commence on Friday in three significant locations for Starbucks: its birthplace, Seattle, along with Chicago and Los Angeles. The union characterizes these cities as pivotal for the company's operations. They've indicated that the strike will expand to numerous stores across the country, from the East to the West Coast, by Christmas Eve, unless Starbucks agrees to adhere to a plan to finalize the company's first union contract.
Starbucks Workers United achieved their initial union victory at a Buffalo location in December 2021, and since then, they've been organizing store by store within the company's network. They've managed to secure the right to represent over 11,000 employees at more than 500 stores, as per the latest count from the NLRB, which oversees elections in the private sector. However, the union has also faced defeats at around 100 stores. Nonetheless, these victories and losses only represent a minor fraction of Starbucks' 11,000 company-run stores in the US, employing approximately 201,000 workers as of September's end.
The union has participated in strike actions at select stores since their first strike, which involved about 100 locations, in November 2022. In the past, many of the striking stores continued their operations, as Starbucks replaced the unionized employees with managers and workers from neighboring non-union stores.
However, with the company and the union actively engaging in negotiations and reporting favorable progress throughout much of this year, this strike announced in November 2023 is the first major one called by the union since then, according to data from Cornell University's School of Labor and Employment Relations.
This situation is ongoing, and we'll provide updates as they become available.
The union is advocating for a fair business agreement, aiming to finalize the first collective contract for Starbucks. Despite the industrial action, the company's business operations continue to thrive, with over 200,000 employees in the US as of September.
