Unionized Starbucks workers at several Philadelphia stores have joined a nationwide strike that is expected to continue through Christmas Eve.
Baristas at the Starbucks store at 16th and Walnut streets spent were among those that walked off the job Sunday and picketed outside. The nationwide work stoppage – which impacted nearly 50 stores as of Sunday night – began Friday at locations in Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle, where the coffee company is headquartered.
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Over the weekend, the strike spread to unionized stores in other cities, including Philly, Boston, Dallas, New York, Pittsburgh and Portland, Oregon.
Workers at five Starbucks stores in Philadelphia are taking part of the strike, NBC10 reported. Ten stores in Philadelphia have unionized workers, including the store 16th and Walnut streets, according to the union's website. Workers there voted to join the Starbucks Workers United union in July. The union represents 10,500 workers at more than 500 stores.
In February, the union and Starbucks made a commitment to productive discussions that included a framework for its first collective bargaining agreement. The sides have met several times since then, with the intention of finalizing the agreement by the end of the year. The union is seeking wage increases, but claims Starbucks has not brought a serious economic proposal to the table. Earlier this month, the union said Starbucks proposed a 1.5% pay raise for baristas, a less than $0.50 hourly raise for the average worker.
The union also filed an unfair labor practice charge Friday; the union says it is among many complaints workers have filed with the National Labor Relations Board.
"Starbucks made the claims that they were going to come to the bargaining table with us and for three months they've put no real economic proposals on the table," Philadelphia barista Noah Dixon told NBC10. "In the meantime, they've hired a CEO, who is paid the equivalent of 10,000 baristas. Even though they seem to think it's impossible to pay us more."
Starbucks claims the union prematurely ended discussions last week and that the company is ready to continue negotiations. On Friday, it said the strikes did not have a large impact on daily operations.
"We are aware of disruption at a small handful of stores, but the overwhelming majority of our U.S. stores remain open and serving customers as normal," the chain said in a statement.