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More Starbucks Locations in Southern California Shutter Due to Strike


LOS ANGELES—On Tuesday, Starbucks employees in Southern California intensified their strike against the coffee chain, including planned picketing at a store located in the Cypress Park area of Los Angeles.

The actions on Monday represented the fourth consecutive day of nationwide walkouts at various stores, temporarily shutting down over 60 locations across the country. The walkouts commenced on December 20, with a store at Alameda Avenue and Shelton Street in Burbank, Calif., among those affected.

According to the union, Tuesday’s demonstrations are anticipated to be the most extensive to date, involving over 5,000 workers across more than 300 stores nationwide. In Los Angeles, employees from the Starbucks at 3242 N. Figueroa St. in Cypress Park are actively participating in picketing.

Historically, the days leading up to Christmas represent one of the busiest periods for customer traffic at Starbucks, as noted by the union.

“The holiday season should be enchanting at Starbucks, but for many of us, there’s a more troubling aspect beneath the surface of peppermint mochas and gingerbread lattes,” stated Arloa Fluhr, a bargaining delegate.

“As a mother of three, including a daughter with diabetes, I understand the anxiety of having my hours reduced, leading to potential inability to pay bills and risking the loss of essential healthcare, including my daughter’s insulin.”

From the weekend onward, union baristas have staged walkouts in various cities including Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Chicago, Columbus, Denver, Pittsburgh, and Seattle.

A spokesperson for Starbucks did not provide an immediate comment in response to the events of Monday.

“The minor disruptions we’ve experienced this week have not significantly affected our store operations. Only a limited number of our locations have been impacted,” a Starbucks representative conveyed to City News Service on December 21.

“We acknowledge our partners’ right to participate in lawful strike activities and appreciate the thousands of partners nationwide who continue to support one another while delivering the Starbucks experience to our customers,” the company further stated.

The union accuses Starbucks of not keeping previous promises made to enhance collective bargaining and resolve ongoing legal issues. According to Starbucks Workers United, the company has only proposed an economic plan with no new wage hikes for union baristas and a mere 1.5% guarantee for future years, translating to less than 50 cents per hour.

“No one wants to strike; it’s a final measure. However, Starbucks has reneged on its commitments to thousands of baristas, leaving us with no alternative,” said Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi, a bargaining delegate. “In a year where Starbucks has invested millions in top executive talent, it has failed to offer baristas—the backbone of its operations—a sustainable economic proposal.”

Starbucks maintains that it is dedicated to reaching a resolution and is eager to return to negotiations, asserting that the union is the one that halted discussions.

“It is disappointing that they did not come back to the negotiating table, especially given the progress we’ve made. Since April, we’ve conducted more than nine bargaining sessions spanning over 20 days,” the company said in a statement. “We have reached over thirty meaningful agreements on numerous topics that Workers United delegates indicated were important to them, encompassing many economic matters.”

The company mentioned that it offers an average wage exceeding $18 per hour along with what it describes as top-tier benefits, including healthcare, free college tuition, paid family leave, and stock options.

In parallel, baristas at the Starbucks on Sunset Boulevard and La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles have submitted a petition to the National Labor Relations Board on December 20, aiming to hold a union election and join over 520 Starbucks locations across the nation that are unionized.



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