Starbucks Workers Plan To Rally At The One Location Starbucks Can't Afford To Close – CoffeeTalk

Starbucks workers are planning to rally at Seattle’s Reserve Roastery on Monday at 12 p.m., demanding a fair contract from the company. The protest follows multiple unfair labor practice charges filed against the company. Starbucks Workers United, the union representing Starbucks workers at unionized locations, cited an instance where three union organizers at the Seattle Roastery and SODO Reserve Starbucks were fired in August. Additionally, the company refused to relocate baristas from the Georgetown location during a temporary remodel to neighboring stores, a practice the company used to commit to regularly when a store was temporarily closed. Starbucks told these workers they were “welcome to seek public assistance” to make up for two weeks of lost income.

Starbucks responded to the planned rally by saying that the company offers the best job in retail with pay and benefits for hourly partners worth an average of $30 per hour, including free college tuition, comprehensive health care, and up to 18 weeks of paid family leave for part-time work. Starbucks has invested more than $500 million to improve the in-store experience for both customers and partners, using Green Apron Service, CEO Brian Niccol’s plan to create friendlier cafes with a human touch when assisting customers.

The rally is set to take place at Seattle’s Reserve Roastery, located on Pike Street in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Starbucks Workers United stated that setting a union contract would cost Starbucks less than one average day’s sales, but instead of negotiating in good faith, the company is stonewalling baristas. At the same time, Starbucks paid CEO Brian Niccol $96 million compensation for just four months of work in 2024, which is the biggest CEO-to-worker pay gap in the country.

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