Starbucks workers begin 5 day strike in Seattle
By Mathieu Chabaud and Clio Jensen
Seattle, WA – On Friday, December 20, Starbucks workers at five stores in Seattle went on strike. Anchored by the 24 hour picket line at the Reserve Roastery, one of Starbucks’ premiere stores, workers on these picket lines are planning to strike through December 24.
Baristas are on an unfair labor practice strike after the company has continually stalled negotiations and engaged in bad faith bargaining. Starbucks workers say the company has not been willing to agree to pay that meets workers’ needs.
“We make our store so much money, we make Starbucks so much money,” said Bruce Halstead, a striking worker at the Reserve Roastery. “If our CEO can afford to have a private jet, they can afford more than a dollar at the minimum for us for raises.”
Since the strike authorization vote was announced Tuesday morning, the price of Starbucks’ stock has dropped almost 10%. “The number one thing that we provide for our company is profits. So, when we go on strike or have actions like these, those are the ways that the company will actually listen,” Halstead explained.
“Starbucks is not bargaining in good faith with us,” continued Halstead.
Mari Cosgrove, who has worked for Starbucks since 2014, further stated, “Credit card tipping was withheld from union stores. A judge found that was illegal and Starbucks has to pay us all, but Starbucks has been dragging their feet on actually paying us the last year.” On the picket line, one worker cited the effect this had on them – because of thousands of dollars in withheld tips, they were unable to make payments for secure parking, leading to their car being broken into and stolen.
Starbucks workers have long faced issues of understaffing, unpredictable scheduling, inadequate pay, and harassment on the job. Their organizing drive began with workers in Buffalo, New York, who filed petitions to unionize in 2021. Starbucks Workers United has since spread to over 10,000 workers at over 150 union stores. Many rounds of short-term strikes and organizing drives forced Starbucks to the negotiating table in February, and SBWU is now turning up the heat.
This round of strikes will be the longest of the strikes at Starbucks so far. Workers came from other stores which were still open to keep striking workers company overnight.
According to Cosgrove, “Being here overnight means that we’re able to block deliveries. The Teamsters famously will respect picket lines as long as you are picketing. So, we need to be able to be here when a truck shows up.” At close to midnight on the second day of the strike, striking workers were able to turn around a recycling truck.
Strong community support has raised the morale of workers on the picket line. Members from unions around the city, such as the CWA, UAW, and Renton Education Association, all came out to the picket line, as well as student and anti-war organizers.
“It means a lot to us, especially since we are paycheck to paycheck workers, we’re low-wage workers,” said Cosgrove. “So even just going on strike, it creates a lot of extra costs on us beyond just losing pay.” While would-be customers tried to pull open the locked doors, many were sympathetic to the striking workers and wished them good luck. One regular customer brought food to workers on the picket line.
Both Halstead and Cosgrove offered advice to those in the food service industry looking to unionize their workplaces. “It goes so much more above just complaining about what is going on, like we experience being short staffed, we experience not being paid enough, and the way that that really will change is through each other,” said Halstead. “I didn’t know that I had so many skills like this where I can get other people to listen, and I can engage my community.”
Cosgrove focused more on the attitude towards organizing, stating “Everything you do has to be fun. This is an industry that grinds you down.”
Cosgrove continued, “Keep it fucking real. Keep it so real, because there’s a reason food service hasn't been organized in a mass scale before, and it’s because we didn’t feel heard by a lot of organizers, and really just involve the rank and file, be incredibly pro-worker, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly food service can organize themselves.”
On the picket line, the work organizers have put in towards the strike is clear. While workers were hopeful that this strike would bring Starbucks back to the bargaining table on pay, they were prepared to fight for as long as necessary for a strong contract.