December 21st 2024.
Employees at Denver’s Starbucks stores, who are part of a union, protested on Saturday because they believe the company is not willing to negotiate fair pay and address complaints about labor practices. The strike, organized by Starbucks Workers United, began on Friday in Chicago, Seattle, and Los Angeles, and expanded to include Denver, Columbus, and Pittsburgh the next day.
One of the striking baristas, Shay Mannik, joined his coworkers on the picket line outside of the University Hills store on Saturday morning. Despite the store's management taking away the patio furniture to prevent its use by workers, Mannik and his colleagues remained in high spirits and even set up lawn chairs. Mannik, who shares a home with a coworker and another roommate, expressed his frustration about having to spend more than half of his income on rent every month. He also mentioned seeing coworkers give up their college plans and struggle to support their families due to the low hourly wage they receive.
Mannik stated that the company has left them with no choice but to fight for a living wage. He believes that Starbucks has the resources to pay their workers better, but instead, they only care about their profits. According to Starbucks Workers United, the company proposed a wage increase during contract negotiations, but it did not include immediate raises and only guaranteed a 1.5% raise in the future years, which would only amount to less than 50 cents an hour for most baristas.
The union has warned that the strike will continue to expand to more stores each day until Tuesday or until Starbucks addresses their demands for raises and resolves the numerous labor complaints. However, Starbucks has not responded to questions about the union's grievances or the status of negotiations.
In a statement, the company acknowledged the strike but stated that it has not significantly impacted store operations, with only a small number of stores being affected. They also mentioned their respect for their partners' right to strike and appreciate the support of thousands of other partners across the country who continue to deliver the Starbucks experience to customers.
Currently, there are six unionized Starbucks stores in Denver, and on Friday, employees of a seventh store at Alameda Avenue and Federal Boulevard announced that they are also petitioning to join the union. The union pointed out that the strike is happening during one of the busiest times for the chain, the last weekend before Christmas.
Lynne Fox, the president of Workers United, emphasized that the unionized baristas know their value and will not accept a proposal that does not treat them as true partners. For more business news, sign up for the Economy Now newsletter.
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