Los Angeles area Starbucks workers strike: "No Contract, No Coffee"

Baristas at a Starbucks in Burbank traded their work aprons for picket signs Friday. They are joining workers at other unionized Starbucks stores in a five-day strike to demand collective bargaining agreements. 

The store on Alameda Avenue normally opens at 4:30 a.m. but remains closed Friday morning with a sign on the door informing customers that they will be closed for the day. Employees were outside early in the morning, holding signs that read "No Contract, No Coffee." 

The Burbank Starbucks joins locations in Chicago and Seattle, which also are participating. Starbucks has nearly 10,000 company-owned stores in the U.S. and said that about 10 stores did not open as planned on Friday.   

Starbucks Workers United, the union that has organized workers at 535 company-owned U.S. stores since 2021, said Starbucks has failed to honor a commitment made in February to reach a labor agreement. The February agreement also committed to resolving legal issues, yet hundreds of unfair labor practice charges remain outstanding, according to the union.

Starbucks said it has held nine bargaining sessions with the union since April and has reached more than 30 agreements with the union. The company said Workers United prematurely ended a bargaining session this week. "We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements. We need the union to return to the table," Starbucks said in a statement.  

Unfair labor practice strikes were called by the union to begin Friday in the three key cities. They are planned to escalate each day with more locations joining in, ultimately reaching stores coast to coast unless the collective bargaining agreement is reached.

The union said the company recently proposed an economic package with no new wage increases for unionized baristas now and a 1.5% increase in future years. 

Starbucks said it already offers pay and benefits, including free college tuition and paid family leave - worth $30 per hour for baristas who work at least 20 hours per week.

Meanwhile, Starbucks says there has been no significant impact to store operations. "We are aware of disruption at a small handful of stores, but the overwhelming majority of our US stores remain open and serving customers as normal,"  Phil Gee, spokesperson for Starbucks said.