A woman holds a placard as she joins other protesters in a protest against what they see as vandalism tactics by unions, outside a Starbucks store in Great Neck, New York , requested the reinstatement of a former employee on August 15, 2022.
Thomas A. Ferrara | News | beautiful pictures
Starbucks Workers across the United States are planning a three-day strike starting Friday as part of the coffee chain’s efforts to consolidate stores.
More than 1,000 bartenders at 100 stores are planning to quit, according to Starbucks worker United, the labor group that organized the effort. The strike will last the longest of the year-long consolidation campaign.
The union said it hoped the strike would close some stores entirely; In other places, a manager or other worker can keep the store open.
A message seeking comment was left to Starbucks on Friday morning.
This is the second major strike in a month by Starbucks workers in the US. On November 17, workers at 110 Starbucks stores held a one day walk. That effort coincides with Starbucks’ annual Red Cup Day, when the company gives away reusable cups to customers who order drinks during the holiday.
More than 264 of Starbucks’ 9,000 U.S. company-run stores have voted to merge from the end of last year.
Starbucks opposes the attempt to form a union, saying the company works better when it works directly with employees. But the company said last month that it respects employees’ legal right to object.
Tori Tambellini, a former Starbucks shift supervisor and union organizer who was fired in July, said she will hold a protest in Pittsburgh this weekend. Tambellini said workers are protesting against understaffed stores, poor management and what she calls Starbucks’ “union-killing method,” including closing consolidated stores.
United workers noted that Starbucks recently closed its first consolidated store in Seattle, the company’s hometown. Starbucks said the store was closed for safety reasons.
Starbucks and the union have begun contract negotiations at about 50 stores, but no agreement has been reached.
This process has been controversial. According to the National Labor Relations Board, United Workers have filed at least 446 allegations of unfair labor practices against Starbucks since late last year, including the company’s firing of labor organizers. act and refuse to negotiate. Meanwhile, the company has filed 47 charges against the union, among them alleging that it violated bargaining rules by recording sessions and posting the recordings online.
So far, the labor dispute does not appear to have affected Starbucks sales. In November, Starbucks said its revenue rose 3% to a record $8.41 billion between July and September.
