10K Starbucks Baristas Continue Strike Across Dozens Of Cities On Christmas

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Starbucks employees, union members and supporters strike outside of a Starbuck store which is closed down due to the strike on December 23, 2024 in New York City. Starbucks Workers United stated that union workers in Missouri, New Jersey, and New York started their strike on Sunday, following the participation of locations in Colorado, Ohio, and Pennsylvania on Saturday. The union represents over 10,000 employees across more than 525 stores. (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images)

OAN Staff James Meyers
10:02 AM – Tuesday, December 24, 2024

The union representing Starbucks baristas said on Tuesday that a strike against the coffee chain has expanded to over 300 locations, with almost 10,000 workers walking off the job on Christmas Eve.

The striking baristas from over 50 cities including Dallas, Denver, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Chicago have crossed the picket line since Friday calling for higher wages and work conditions.

Meanwhile, the extent to which the work stoppage has damaged Starbucks business is unclear.

According to company filings obtained by the New York Times, an average Starbucks establishment in the United States generates anywhere between $4,000 and $8,000 during normal business hours.

The number is even more during the holiday times, according to the Times.

The strike is expected to end on Tuesday and workers are due to report to their respective stores on Christmas Day.

Earlier this week, Starbucks said the strike had no major impact on its operations because only a small handful of U.S. stores have been impacted.

Starbucks Workers United, which is the union that launched the strike, represents employees at over 500 company-owned stores, which is around 5% of the total number of stores being operated in the U.S.

Currently, Starbucks operates over 11,000 stores in the U.S., employing around 200,000 workers.

The company has so far rejected union demands claiming the demands are unreasonably high.

“Workers United proposals call for an immediate increase in the minimum wage of hourly partners by 64%, and by 77% over the life of a three-year contract,” Starbucks said over the weekend.

“This is not sustainable,” the coffee chain said.

Talks between Starbucks and the union hit a crossroads with unresolved issues over wages, staffing and schedules, leading to the strike.

Additionally, Starbucks began negotiations with the union in April. It said this month it had conducted over eight bargaining sessions, during which 30 agreements had been reached.

According to Starbucks, the average pay for its workers is currently over $18 per hour, and, taken together with benefits, is worth more than $30 an hour.