1 of 2 | A Starbucks barista pictured in December 2012 in in University City, Mo., with the words “Come Together” on a Starbucks cup. “Starbucks knows where our union stands. They know our demands,” the union said Wednesday. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
Starbucks workers could strike is more than 25 U.S. cities on one of the chain’s year’s biggest sales days, its union announced Wednesday.
The Starbucks Workers United union approved an open-ended strike that could begin on its annual “Red Cup Day” if the coffee company fails to reach a collective bargaining agreement by Nov. 13.
SWU officials said the strike authorization was approved by 92% of union voters.
Additional store locations may also strike if negotiations fail, according to Starbucks Workers United officials who represen some 9,500 baristas across 550 Starbuck store locations.
“The ball is in Starbucks’ court,” Michelle Eisen, a union spokesperson and barista at Starbucks, told CBS in a statement.
Negotiations ended last year between the two sides after failed contract proposals and since have not been in active talks.
Union baristas and Starbucks in February entered into mediation in the push for better hours, wages and final resolution to scores of unfair labor practice accusations.
In April, union delegates voted down a Starbucks-proposed finance package.
A large number of employees at 113 unionized locations went on strike during Starbucks’s 2022 Red Cup Day.
“Starbucks knows where our union stands. They know our demands,” the union posted Wednesday on X.
“They need to finalize this contract and stop union busting before the holiday season begins… otherwise, we’ll be ready,” it added.
