Representing over 10,000 Starbucks baristas, the union announced late Saturday that Starbucks employees have expanded their strike to five additional U.S. cities, including New York.
According to Reuters, Workers United, representing Starbucks employees, stated in a press release that the planned five-day strike is expanding once again. The strike, which began last Friday, initially shut down Starbucks stores in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, and has now extended to include stores in New Jersey, New York City, Philadelphia, and St. Louis. The statement did not specify which city in New Jersey the strike is taking place.
Starbucks stated that the business disruption caused by the strike has not had a significant impact on the overall operations of the company, as only a small number of U.S. stores have been affected.
The coffee chain said, “The proposal from Workers United demands an immediate 64% increase in minimum wage for hourly partners, and a 77% increase over the three-year contract period. This demand is unsustainable.”
The strike escalated on Saturday to include Columbus, Denver, and Pittsburgh. Following another expansion on Sunday, the strike is now taking place in ten cities. Given that the strike is taking place during the busy holiday season, it could impact Starbucks’ Christmas sales.
Starbucks operates over 11,000 stores in the U.S., employing approximately 200,000 workers.
Negotiations between Starbucks and the union have reached a deadlock, with issues such as wages, staffing, and scheduling remaining unresolved, leading to the strike.
Workers United warned on Friday that by Tuesday of this week, just before Christmas Eve, the strike could affect “hundreds of stores.”
Starbucks began negotiations with the union in April of this year. The company stated this month that there have been over eight rounds of negotiations resulting in 30 agreements between the two parties.