Unionized Starbucks workers vote to authorize a strike

Unionized Starbucks workers voted to authorize a strike. 

“BREAKING: 98% of SBWU baristas voted to authorize a ULP strike if necessary – just DAYS before our emergency campaign call Thursday @ 8:30 pm PT/ 5:30 pm ET,” Starbucks Workers United said Tuesday on X. 

The potential strike authorization came in the lead-up to a meeting scheduled Tuesday between Starbucks Workers United and the company for further negotiations.

The union claimed Starbucks has yet to bring a comprehensive economic package to the table, while hundreds of legal disputes over unfair labor practices remain unsettled. The union has also been advocating for higher pay, increased staffing and schedule improvements. 

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Timing of a possible strike has not yet been hammered out by the unionized workers.

Thousands of Starbucks workers at over 525 stores belong to SBWU. 

SBWU bargaining delegate Silvia Baldwin said in a statement it was “time to finalize a foundational framework that includes meaningful investments in baristas and to resolve unfair labor practice charges.”

“We are ready to focus on the future by resolving ULPs and locking in the support and protections we need to do our jobs well and flourish,” she said. “We know that baristas are critical to the operation of the company, which is why we’re bringing pragmatic solutions to the bargaining table.”

“It is disappointing that the union is considering a strike rather than focusing on what have been extremely productive negotiations,” a Starbucks spokesperson told FOX Business. “Since April, we’ve scheduled and attended more than eight multi-day bargaining sessions where we’ve reached 30 meaningful agreements on dozens of topics Workers United delegates told us were important to them, including many economic issues.”

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The spokesperson also said the coffeehouse chain “remain[s] committed to working together and committed to reaching a final framework agreement.”

The union and Starbucks started working on a “foundational framework” in April, and the sides most recently met in September. That meeting occurred not long after Brain Niccol became the coffeehouse chain’s CEO. 

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Niccol announced Monday the company will be “more than doubling” the paid parental leave it offers to U.S. store employees that work at least an average of 20 hours per week. The expanded benefit, which will include up to 18 weeks for birth parents and up to 12 weeks for non-birth parents, goes into effect in the spring.

The company’s workforce totaled about 361,000 at the end of September, including 211,000 in the U.S. at Starbucks-operated stores, corporate support and other areas.

Reuters contributed to this report.