Unionized Starbucks baristas in 25 states have voted to go on strike next week if they can’t reach an agreement with corporate management.
Workers gave their union representatives the go-ahead to call for a work stoppage on Nov. 13, which would coincide with the company’s annual Red Cup Day promotion, according to a statement obtained by the Daily News.
Bloomberg reports that Starbucks Workers United represents around 550 employees at 10,000 Starbucks stores in the U.S.
A representative for the union provided a statement Wednesday claiming that 92% of its members voted “yes” to walk off the job ahead of the busy holiday season.
“The vote comes after six months of Starbucks refusing to offer new proposals to address workers’ demands for better staffing, higher pay, and a resolution of hundreds of unfair labor practice charges,” the union said.
Buffalo-based Starbucks worker and strike captain Jasmine Leli claim some of her colleagues rely on SNAP or Medicaid despite having jobs and struggle to be assigned the 20 hours a week needed to qualify for benefits.
Union officials contend that finalizing a fair union contract would cost Starbucks less than an average day’s sales.
A Starbucks spokesperson said it’ll be business as usual at “the vast majority” of Starbucks locations regardless of what union workers choose to do next.
“We are disappointed that Workers United, who only represents around 4% of our partners, has voted to authorize a strike instead of returning to the bargaining table.” the company said. “When they’re ready to come back, we’re ready to talk.”
Starbucks contends that its competitive $30 an hour average pay and benefits package is why its worker turnover is low and application intake is high. The company said in December it planned to cut 900 jobs and close underperforming North American stores.
