More than 11,000 Starbucks baristas in the US have begun a five-day strike over wages and working conditions.
The walkouts began Friday at stores in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, Starbucks Workers United said. The union added that the strike will spread day by day and reach hundreds of stores before Christmas unless an agreement is reached.
It follows that the union is calling on the coffee shop giant to increase wages and staff, and implement better programs for its workers.
“We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements. We need the union to return to the table,” said a Starbucks spokesperson when responding to the strike announcement.
The strike is the largest action by Workers United since the union began trying to negotiate with the company more than two years ago.
The union has been recruiting members since the first store in the US voted to join in 2021. It now represents more than 500 stores in 45 US states.
“It’s a last resort, but Starbucks has broken its promise to thousands of baristas and left us helpless,” said Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi, a Texas Starbucks barista in a statement sent to the BBC by the union.
Workers United has highlighted what it sees as an unfair pay gap between its members and senior executives at Starbucks, including CEO Brian Niccol.
His annual base salary is $1.6m. He could also receive a performance-related bonus of up to $7.2m and up to $23m a year in Starbucks dividends.
Starbucks has previously defended the plan, saying Mr Niccol was “one of the most successful leaders in our industry” and that his compensation was “directly linked to the performance of the company and the shared success of all our stakeholders”.
The company, which has more than 16,000 stores in the US, also highlighted that it offers an average wage of $18 (£14.40) an hour, as well as “excellent benefits.”
“Together they cost about $30 an hour for baristas who work at least 20 hours a week,” he said.
The strike comes at a difficult time for the company.
The world’s largest coffee shop chain has seen record sales as it faces the backlash of inflation and boycotts caused by the Israel-Gaza war.
He replaced former manager Laxman Narasimhan in August, making a name for himself Mr Niccol will lead the transition.
Under Mr Narasimham, the company softened its stance against the union, pledging earlier this year to work towards a deal.
The strike at Starbucks is coming as one of the most powerful unions in the US staged a protest against Amazonaimed at putting pressure on the tech giant as it rushes packages in the last Christmas period.
The Teamsters union said Amazon delivery drivers at seven locations in the US walked off the job Thursday, after the company refused to negotiate with the union over a labor contract.
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