The strike at Starbucks is expected to expand to more than 300 stores in the United States this Tuesday (24).
More than 5,000 workers are expected to join the movement before the five-day strike ends on Christmas Eve, according to the workers’ union.
Starbucks Workers United, which represents employees at 525 stores across the country, said more than 60 units in 12 major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Seattle, remained closed on Monday (23).
Negotiations between Starbucks and the union reached an impasse due to unresolved issues over wages, personnel and schedules, leading to the strike that began last Friday (20).
With a union contract, benefits, wages and working conditions could be formalized and not reduced without negotiation, according to the Workers United website.
The Christmas Eve strike was projected to be the largest ever recorded at the coffee shop chain, the union added. “These strikes are an initial show of strength, and we are just getting started,” an Oregon barista said in a union statement.
When asked, a Starbucks spokeswoman referred to a statement released by the company this Monday (23).
The statement said that between 97% and 99% of Starbucks stores will continue to operate and serve customers, adding that it expects “a very limited impact” on overall operations. Starbucks has more than 10,000 company-operated stores in the US.
“We are ready to continue negotiations as soon as the union returns to the negotiating table,” the company stated.
The Seattle-based company previously said union delegates prematurely ended the bargaining session.
Earlier this month, the workers’ group rejected an offer that did not include immediate pay increases and guaranteed only a 1.5% increase over the next few years.
The union also alleged that Starbucks has not yet presented workers with “a serious economic proposal.”
