Starbucks is responding to Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) baristas voting earlier this week to authorize a strike, with some union workers setting up a picket line on Friday. .
The coffee chain says the union is demanding “unsustainable” wage increases.
“Workers United's proposal calls for an immediate minimum wage increase of 64% for our hourly partners, and 77% during the three-year term,” Starbucks said in a statement. “This is not sustainable.”
Starbucks says its employees now earn an average salary of more than $18 an hour, which with benefits is worth more than $30 an hour.
The company added that it was “ready to continue negotiations to reach an agreement.” “We need unions back to the table.”
SBWU members voted Tuesday to authorize the strike ahead of a meeting between the union and the company for further negotiations.
Union-affiliated Starbucks stores in Los Angeles, Seattle and Chicago began picket lines on Friday, and the strike will expand to more stores across the country through Christmas Eve.
Thousands of Starbucks employees at more than 525 stores belong to SBWU.
A Starbucks spokesperson said in a statement Friday: “There has been no material impact to store operations. We understand there is disruption at a small number of our stores, but the overwhelming majority of our U.S. stores remain open. We are continuing to serve our customers as usual.”
The union and Starbucks began working on a “foundational framework” in April, and the two sides most recently met in September. The meeting took place shortly after Brian Nicol took over as CEO of the coffee house chain.
Nicol announced Monday that it will “more than double” the amount of paid parental leave it provides to U.S. store employees who work an average of 20 hours or more per week. The expanded benefits include up to 18 weeks for biological parents and 12 weeks for non-biological parents and will go into effect in the spring.
As of the end of September, the company had approximately 361,000 employees, including 211,000 employees in Starbucks-operated stores, corporate support, and other areas in the United States.
