Starbucks Workers Union Plans Strikes

(Reuters) – The workers' union representing over 10,000 Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) baristas announced plans for strikes at stores in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle on Friday morning, coinciding with the busy holiday season.

Escalation of Strikes

Workers United, representing employees at 525 Starbucks locations across the United States, indicated that walkouts may escalate daily, potentially affecting hundreds of stores nationwide by Christmas Eve. This will occur unless Starbucks and the union finalize a collective bargaining agreement.

Framework for Negotiations

In February, the union and Starbucks established a "framework" to facilitate organizing and collective bargaining. Negotiations commenced in April, based on this framework, which also aims to address various pending legal disputes.

The union stated, "Since the February commitment, the company repeatedly pledged publicly that it intended to reach contracts by the end of the year, but it has yet to present workers with a serious economic proposal."

Starbucks has not provided an immediate response to requests for comment.

Company Leadership

The coffee chain is undergoing significant changes under its new CEO, Brian Niccol, who is focused on rejuvenating the "coffee house culture" by redesigning cafes, enhancing seating, reducing customer wait times to under four minutes, and simplifying the menu.