The strike, which the union says will hit more outlets every day until Tuesday, comes as Starbucks grapples with stagnating sales in key markets.
Former Chipotle boss Brian Niccol was brought on board this year with a mandate to staunch a decline that saw quarterly revenue worldwide fall three percent to $9 billion.
“In September, Brian Niccol became CEO with a compensation package worth at least $113 million,” thousands of times the wage of the average barista, said union member Michelle Eisen in the statement.
The union said Starbucks had not engaged fruitfully for several months, and threatened it was ready to “show the company the consequences.”
“We refuse to accept zero immediate investment in baristas’ wages and no resolution of the hundreds of outstanding unfair labor practices,” said Lynne Fox, president of Workers United.
“Union baristas know their value, and they’re not going to accept a proposal that doesn’t treat them as true partners.”
Starbucks did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment. – AFP
