Unionized Starbucks baristas in metro Atlanta will join a national strike on Thursday to disrupt one of the coffee chain’s busiest days — in a push to secure a contract after almost four years of delayed and stalled negotiations.
Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) members in over 25 cities plan to join the Nov. 13 strike on Red Cup Day, Starbucks’ annual promotional campaign for the holiday season. Locally, SBWU is kicking off the strike with a rally from 4 to 5 p.m. outside a unionized Alpharetta store, located at 10830 Haynes Bridge Road.
Unlike previous union actions, held for a single day, organizers say they are ready to hold out for weeks. “If the company drags their feet, then there are plans for escalation,” said SBWU Georgia organizer Amanda Rivera. Fully 92% of SBWU members on Nov. 5 voted to strike.
Rivera said Starbucks must make a serious contract offer if it wants to avert walk-offs – and stores not opening — during the busy holiday season. SWBU represents about 12,000 baristas at 550 unionized US stores. That includes nine unionized stores in metro-Atlanta, plus additional Georgia stores in Augusta and Waycross, Rivera said.
“We are hoping that they see the writing on the wall and come to the table with a sincere offer,” Rivera said, adding that the company has not been bargaining in good faith.
SBWU delegates voted in April to reject the company’s latest contract proposal, which organizers said only guaranteed annual raises of 2% and had no guarantees that employees could get enough work hours to qualify for company benefits.
The union has three remaining demands for Starbucks: increase base pay to $20 per hour with 5% annual raises; give baristas more hours and reduce understaffing; and resolve the over 90 unfair labor practice charges, mostly related to union busting, that the union has filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
The NLRB itself has been battling Starbucks in federal court over its aggressive pushback against union organizing, with at least eight active cases, according to Bloomberg Law. The NLRB has won four argued cases, while Starbucks prevailed in one.
SBWU has been trying to win a national contract with Starbucks since late 2021. Since then, Starbucks workers have unionized about 650 stores, but the coffee chain has closed about 100 of those, according to the union.
In September Starbucks closed 59 union shops, Rivera said, as part of a national closure of 400 stores.
Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson said the company offers “the best job in retail,” in a statement. “We are disappointed that Workers United, who only represents around 4% of our partners, has voted to authorize a strike instead of returning to the bargaining table,” the statement said. “When they’re ready to come back, we’re ready to talk.”
The union has set up a local solidarity fund in addition to the national strike fund to support striking workers. So far, the local fund has raised over $2,000.
The Democratic Socialists of America’s Atlanta chapter is also holding a benefit concert for striking workers in East Point on Nov. 16 featuring local acts such as Starpower and Slime Ring. There is a suggested $10 to $20 donation, and doors open at 6 p.m.