Starbucks baristas to strike on Friday, union says happymamay

A union representing more than 11,000 Starbucks baristas in the United States said its members will stage a five-day strike starting Friday morning, over a dispute over wages and working conditions.

United Workers say walkouts will occur in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle, and the walkout is set to spread every day and reach hundreds of stores by Christmas Eve unless a deal is reached with the coffee shop giant.

This comes on the heels of the union’s call for Starbucks to increase wages and employees, as well as implement better schedules for its workers.

A Starbucks spokesperson said in response to the strike announcement: “We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements. We need the union back to the table.”

The company also confirmed that it offers an average wage of more than $18 (£14.40) per hour, as well as “best-in-class benefits”.

“Combined, they are worth an average of $30 an hour for baristas who work at least 20 hours a week,” she said.

United Workers says it represents workers at more than 500 stores in 45 U.S. states.

“It is a last resort, but Starbucks has broken its promise to thousands of baristas and left us no choice,” Fatima Al-Hajjaboudi, a Starbucks barista from Texas, said in a statement sent to the BBC by the union.

The labor union has highlighted what it sees as an unfair pay disparity between its members and senior Starbucks managers. Including CEO Brian Nicol.

His annual base salary is $1.6 million. He can also receive a performance-related bonus of up to $7.2 million and up to $23 million annually in Starbucks stock.

Starbucks previously defended the plan, saying Nicol was “one of the most effective leaders in our industry” and that his compensation was “directly tied to the company’s performance and the shared success of all our stakeholders.”

Mr Nicol joined the company in September After his predecessor, Laxman Narasimhan, stepped down after less than two years.

The world’s largest coffee shop chain has seen weak sales As it grapples with backlash over price increases and boycotts sparked by the war between Israel and Gaza.

The strike comes at Starbucks One of the most powerful labor unions in the United States is organizing a protest against Amazonaiming to put pressure on the tech giant as it speeds up packages in the run-up to Christmas.

Amazon delivery drivers at seven facilities in the United States quit their jobs on Thursday, after the company refused to negotiate with the union over a labor contract, the truck drivers union said.