GEORGIA — A strike that lasted for days against Starbucks ended on Tuesday, the union Starbucks Workers United told ABC News.
The strike involved workers at over 300 stores in dozens of cities nationwide.
“The company should be concerned because this is just the beginning,” Michelle Eisen, a Starbucks barista in Buffalo, New York, and a member of the union’s bargaining team, told ABC News.
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The union organized the strike to protest a lack of progress in contract negotiations with the company.
Workers United told ABC News in a statement that Starbucks had proposed no immediate wage increases for most baristas and a guarantee of only 1.5% wage increases in future years.
But Starbucks said in a statement that the union proposed an immediate increase in the minimum wage for hourly employees by 64% and an overall 77% raise over the duration of a three-year contract.
A company spokesperson told ABC News, “This is not sustainable.”
Starbucks said it already pays an average of $18 per hour.
When you factor in health care, free college tuition, and paid family leave, Starbucks’ pay package is worth about $30 an hour for baristas who work at least 20 hours per week.
The union and the company remain without a collective bargaining agreement at organized stores.
Workers United organized over 150 stores in 2024, bringing the total number of unionized stores to around 540.
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