Starbucks staff in US begin three-day strike as contract talks sour

The walkout underlines the rising tension between the coffee giant and its union employees.

Starbucks baristas at 50 locations throughout the US are starting a three-day strike on Friday, saying the company is not bargaining fairly with recently unionised stores.

Organisers say the planned strike will involve more than 1,000 workers, making it the biggest multiday work stoppage ever by Starbucks Workers United, the labour group that has prevailed in elections at about 270 of the chain’s cafés this year.

Workers at 50 locations that are not stopping work for three days plan to support the effort by striking for a day or two, according to the union.

The walkout underlines the rising tension between the coffee giant and its union employees, who have tried to secure a collective-bargaining agreement for more than a year without success.

“We just want to show Starbucks that we’re going to continue escalating until they respect our right to organise and actually come to the table to bargain in good faith,” said Maggie Carter, a leader in the countrywide union campaign.

“As long as Starbucks continues to fight us, we’re going to continue to fight back,” she said.

Shares of Starbucks fell as much as 1.7% as trading opened in New York on Friday.

Ms Carter said union contract talks at her Tennessee store began last week and ended within minutes when company representatives walked out over a dispute about the union’s desire for some workers to be able to participate via Zoom.

Organisers have been pushing Starbucks for better pay and protections against benefit cuts, among other things. That location is not part of the strike, but Ms Carter is helping coordinate the work stoppage.

The campaign has helped inspire similar first-ever organising victories at other companies, such as Apple, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Trader Joe’s.

Starbucks Workers United won its first election at a café in New York a year ago, and those workers still do not have a union contract.

• Bloomberg