A walkout at Starbucks, organized by the Starbucks Workers Union, is expanding to over 300 U.S. stores on Tuesday. Approximately 5,000 workers are participating in the five-day labor action, which concludes later in the day. This Christmas Eve expansion represents the largest demonstration yet, following Monday’s walkouts at more than 60 stores across 12 major cities.
Lauren Hollingsworth, a barista from Ashland, Oregon, highlighted the struggles faced by many workers, stating in a union release, “Half the baristas in my store drive 30 minutes one way because they can’t afford to live closer to work. These strikes are an initial show of strength.”
Starbucks acknowledges the walkouts, noting that the roughly 60 stores temporarily closed during the weekend and Monday represent a small fraction of its over 10,000 U.S. locations. Sara Kelly, Starbucks’ executive vice president and chief partner officer, anticipates further closures on Christmas Eve but expects 97% to 99% of stores to remain unaffected. Kelly reiterated the company’s willingness to resume negotiations “when the union comes back to the bargaining table.”
The five-day strike, which began Friday, coincides with the holiday shopping season and aims to pressure Starbucks into making progress on contract talks. Baristas have picketed and shut down locations across 13 metro areas, citing Starbucks’ failure to honor a February commitment to reach a labor agreement this year.
The union criticizes Starbucks’ proposed economic package, which includes no immediate wage increases for unionized baristas and only a 1.5% increase in future years. Starbucks counters that its current pay and benefits package is worth $30 an hour for those working at least 20 hours a week, claiming the union prematurely ended discussions. Beyond wages, the union also demands resolution of outstanding unfair labor practice charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board. This action follows similar labor disputes at Amazon, where the Teamsters union announced strikes at seven delivery hubs just days prior.