Seattle Starbucks workers to go on strike

Starbucks baristas launching 5 days of strikes

Seattle's union Starbucks baristas are starting a five-day stretch of escalating strikes in multiple cities.

SEATTLE - Seattle’s union Starbucks baristas are set to kick off a five-day series of escalating strikes starting Friday.

These strikes are planned to take place in key cities, including Seattle, Chicago and Los Angeles, highlighting the workers’ demands for better working conditions and benefits.

Union representatives say the strikes will end if Starbucks honors its February commitment to collaborate with union workers on collective bargaining agreements. However, Starbucks stated yesterday that Workers United delegates prematurely ended this week's bargaining session, expressing disappointment they did not return to the table.

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Starbucks workers' union votes to authorize strike

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Starbucks workers' union votes to authorize strike

Thousands of Starbucks baristas at hundreds of stores nationwide have voted to authorize a strike as the workers' union seeks a contract with the coffee company.

The company claims it has participated in over nine bargaining sessions across 20 days since April and remains focused on improving the employee experience. Starbucks highlighted its competitive pay, averaging $18 per hour with benefits, and noted baristas working at least 20 hours a week can earn an average of $30 per hour.

Since 2024, Starbucks Workers United has driven a "winning streak" of organizing, with baristas at more than 100 stores voting to unionize. Over 11,000 baristas are now part of a nationwide movement advocating for workplace protections on key issues like respect, living wages, racial and gender equity, and fair scheduling.

The strike begins today at 3 p.m. at the Roastery on Pike Street in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood.