Starbucks 200 Workers to strike at more than 100 locations on Red Cup Day
Quick Read
- More than 100 unionized Starbucks locations plan to strike on one of the chain’s biggest sales days of the year, Red Cup Day.
- At the 113 striking locations, the union will be distributing its own version of the reusable red cup that features the Grinch’s hand holding an ornament with the logo of Starbucks Workers United.
- The action comes after contract negotiations between Starbucks Workers United and the company have broken down.
- This is to show them we’re not playing around
- We’re done with the their anti-union retaliation and them walking away from bargaining.
Starbucks 200 Workers to strike
Workers at more than 100 unionized Starbucks locations plan to strike on Thursday, one of the chain’s biggest sales days of the year.
To celebrate the holiday season, Starbucks every year gives away reusable red cups bearing the company’s logo with any purchase.
The giveaway on the coffee chain’s Red Cup Day has become a must-have for collectors, and this year’s event marks its 25th anniversary.
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On Thursday, organizers at 113 striking locations are planning to protest and distribute a version of the red cup featuring the Grinch’s hand holding an ornament with the logo of the Starbucks union.
The actions are expected to affect store operations for at least part of the day.
It’s the largest collective action Starbucks Workers United has taken so far in its organizing push over the past year.
The union says it is striking to protest the retaliation taken against union supporters nationwide.
It is also protesting what it characterizes as the company’s refusal to bargain with the union on a first labor deal.
There are 264 stores that have voted in favor of union representation.
But no contracts have yet been negotiated even at stores which voted nearly a year ago.
“This is to show them we’re not playing around,” said Tyler Keeling, a 26-year old union supporter who has worked at a Starbucks in Lakewood, California — near Los Angeles — for the last six years. “We’re done with their anti-union retaliation and them walking away from bargaining.”
Keeling and other union supporters say that it was up to each individual store as to whether or not to participate in the nationwide strike.
Many stores have staged brief strikes already over specific issues. But this is the first nationwide action.
“There’s a lot of fear before a store decides to go on strike,” said Michelle Eisen, an organizer of the first Starbucks store to vote in favor of the union last December.
“Starbucks has been retaliating against union leaders across the country. But despite that fear, over 2,000 workers across the country are striking today and standing up for one another.”
When Keeling’s store staged a one-day strike in August, Starbucks (SBUX) workers from nearby non-union stores joined the picket line, he said, and some customers brought food and drinks to the strikers.
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It’s not clear how many of the stores affected by Thursday’s action will be able to stay open during the strike.
In late September, Starbucks sent letters to more than 200 locations saying that it was ready to start contract negotiations. But Starbucks Workers United contend the company hasn’t been bargaining in good faith.
Talks between the two sides broke down quickly due to disagreements over whether union members can join the talks via Zoom. Representatives from Starbucks have walked out of meetings minutes after they begin, insisting on only face-to-face negotiations, citing federal regulations.
“Broadcasting or recording these in-person sessions is deeply concerning and undermines the interests of our partners because negotiations may warrant the discussion of individuals by name and are likely to address a range of sensitive topics,” Starbucks said on a blog post on its anti-union website.
The company has filed 22 complaints tied to negotiations with the National Labor Relations Board.
On Tuesday, the federal labor board filed for an injunction, asking that a court order the company to stop firing workers nationwide.
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End Of Article: Starbucks 200 Workers to strike
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