Just in time for the holiday season, thousands of Starbucks baristas are scheduled to return to work Wednesday after a five-day strike.
More than 5,000 Starbucks employees walked off the job last Tuesday, and the strike has closed more than 300 stores, including some in the Los Angeles area.
The union representing baristas, called Starbucks Workers United, says it is ready to return to the bargaining table.
Negotiations with the company had stalled over pay, staffing and schedules.
Additionally, the union said it would strategize in the coming days on the next steps in its campaign to win higher wages and other benefits.
In Los Angeles, workers picketed stores in the Cypress Park area on Tuesday, joining baristas who went on strike in 43 states last week.
The measures began Friday and also closed stores at Alameda Avenue and Shelton Street in Burbank.
The union accused Starbucks of not honoring previous promises to improve collective bargaining and resolve legal disputes.
Starbucks Workers United said the company proposed an economic stimulus package that would provide no new wage increases for union baristas and only guarantee future wages of 1.5% below 50 cents an hour.
The last day before Christmas is traditionally one of Starbucks’ busiest times of the year, the union said.
Michelle Eisen, a barista and chief negotiator, said the union is open to negotiating an economic offer with Starbucks in October. But after months of failed negotiations, the company decided to take action.
“This is a setback for months of progress and the company’s commitment to work toward ratification of the framework at the end of the year,” Eisen said in a statement. “We are prepared to do what it takes to show companies the consequences of not keeping their promises to baristas.”
Sarah Kelly, Starbucks executive vice president and chief partner officer, said in an open letter that a very small number of its stores (approximately 60) were temporarily closed over the weekend and into Monday.
It added that more than 10,000 company-operated stores in the United States opened as planned and were crowded with customers.
Kelly said Tuesday’s actions have had a very limited impact on the company’s overall operations, with the majority of its stores, approximately 97% to 99%, open.
“Workers United’s proposal calls for an immediate 64% minimum wage increase for hourly partners and a 77% increase over the three-year term,” Kelly said in the letter.
“These proposals are not sustainable, especially since the continued investments we make across our benefits set us apart as an employer and make us proud to work for Starbucks.” Especially if it’s something.”
The company says it pays an average hourly wage of more than $18 and offers what it calls best-in-class benefits, including health care, free college tuition, paid family leave and stock grants.
Brian Nicol took over as CEO in September and received compensation worth at least $113 million, 10,000 times the median hourly wage for baristas, the union said. equivalent.
The union argued that the company had enough power to provide workers with adequate wage increases.
“As a barista, I make $15.49 an hour, but Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol’s compensation breaks down to more than $50,000 an hour,” barista Lauren Hollingsworth said in a statement.
Hollingsworth added that some of her colleagues drive 30 minutes to work because they can’t afford to live nearby.
“My colleagues and I have made the difficult decision to launch an unfair labor practice strike in hundreds of stores across the country because we know that investing in baristas is the only way to turn things around.” Hollingsworth said in a statement.
Mr. Kelly maintained that Starbucks was committed to reaching an agreement and was ready to return to the negotiating table, and that it was the union that broke off negotiations last week.
“It is disappointing that they were not able to return to the table given the progress we have made to date. Since April, we have held more than nine negotiation sessions in 20 days,” the company said in a statement. “We reached more than 30 meaningful agreements on hundreds of topics that Workers United representatives said were important to us, including many economic issues.”
Meanwhile, baristas at the Starbucks at Sunset Boulevard and La Brea Avenue on Friday filed a union election petition with the National Labor Relations Board, joining 520 barista unions nationwide. We asked the above Starbucks stores to participate.
