Washington: A union representing more than 11,000 Starbucks baristas in the US says its members will hold a five-day strike starting on Friday in a dispute over pay and working conditions, media reports said.
Workers United says the walkouts will start in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, with strike action set to spread each day and reach hundreds of stores by Christmas Eve unless a deal is reached, BBC reported.
According to reports, the union is advocating for the coffee shop giant to increase wages, staffing, and improve worker schedules.
“We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements. We need the union to return to the table,” a Starbucks spokesperson said in response to the strike announcement.
The company also highlighted that it offers average pay of over $18 (£14.40) an hour, as well as “best-in-class benefits, “the report said.
Workers United has criticised Starbucks for alleged unfair pay disparities between its members and senior executives, including CEO Brian Niccol.
The individual’s annual base pay is $1.6m, with potential for a performance-related bonus of $7.2m and up to $23m in annual Starbucks shares, the report said.
“Taken together, they are worth an average of $30 per hour for baristas who work at least 20 hours per week,” it said.
Workers United represents workers at over 500 stores in 45 US states.
“It’s a last resort, but Starbucks has broken its promise to thousands of baristas and left us with no choice,” said Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi, a Starbucks barista from Texas, in a statement sent to the BBC by the union.
Starbucks has previously defended the plan, saying that Niccol was “one of the most effective leaders in our industry” and that his compensation was “tied directly to the company’s performance and the shared success of all our stakeholders.”
The Teamsters union said Amazon delivery drivers at seven facilities in the US had walked off the job on Thursday, after the company refused to negotiate with the union about a labour contract.
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