Starbucks (SBUX) faces an escalating strike of baristas in the U.S. in what has become the largest union pushback against the Seattle-based company in its history.
The union announced on Thursday it will now be striking at 95 stores in 65 cities, with some 2,000 baristas now engaged in the action. On Wednesday, baristas and allies also picketed and held a rally outside the company’s distribution center in York, Pennsylvania. “Our union isn’t slowing down… in fact, we’re just getting started,” read a social media post from Starbucks Workers United.
For its part, Starbucks (SBUX) noted that there are no disruptions to its operations in York and highlighted that this year’s Red Cup Day was the strongest in the company’s history in terms of sales and store traffic. “As we’ve said, 99% of our 17,000 U.S. locations remain open and welcoming customers, including many the union publicly stated would strike but never closed or have since reopened,” updated Starbucks spokeswoman Jaci Anderson.
Earlier in the month, Starbucks (SBUX) said it was disappointed that Workers United, who only represent around 4% of its partners, voted to authorize a strike instead of returning to the bargaining table. Starbucks (SBUX) described the barista position as one of the best jobs in retail, with average pay of more than $19 an hour and over $30 an hour when including benefits.
Shares of Starbucks (SBUX) were up 1.7% in Thursday morning trading but have traded mainly sideways over the last six months.