Unionized Starbucks workers picket outside of a location on Speedway Boulevard and Park Avenue.
Unionized Starbucks workers around the country began a strike over the weekend, and picketers were present today at a location on Speedway Boulevard and Park Avenue.
Among the striking employees is Taylor Moat. Moat said the strike is a response to a 2% wage increase offered by the company.
"Which isn't sustainable for our workers that are struggling to pay rent and things. So we're looking for the company to come back with a better economic proposal."
Picketing workers say this strike is planned for Monday only.
Starbucks Workers United mentioned nine states where rolling strikes would take place. Arizona was not among that list, though it does mention a location in the University of Arizona's main book store as among those that have unionized.
SWU posted the following statement on social media when the strike was announced on December 19.
Since February, Starbucks has repeatedly pledged publicly that they intended to reach contracts by the end of the year - but they’ve yet to present workers with a serious economic proposal. This week, less than two weeks before their end-of-year deadline, Starbucks proposed no immediate wage increase for union baristas, and a guarantee of only 1.5% wage increases in future years. Our unfair labor practice (ULP) strikes will begin Friday morning and escalate each day through Christmas Eve... unless Starbucks honors our commitment to work towards a foundational framework.
Starbucks sent AZPM the following statement:
Workers United delegates prematurely ended our bargaining session this week. It is disappointing they didn’t return to the table given the progress we’ve made to date. Since April we’ve held more than nine bargaining sessions over 20 days. We’ve reached over thirty (30) meaningful agreements on hundreds of topics Workers United delegates told us were important to them, including many economic issues. We are focused on enhancing the partner (employee) experience, with over $3 billion invested in the last three years. Starbucks offers a competitive average pay of over $18 per hour, and best-in-class benefits. Taken together they are worth an average of $30 per hour for baristas who work at least 20 hours per week. Benefits include health care, free college tuition, paid family leave and company stock grants. No other retailer offers this kind of comprehensive pay and benefits package. Workers United proposals call for an immediate increase in the minimum wage of hourly partners by 64%, and by 77% over the life of a three-year year contract. This is not sustainable. We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements. We need the union to return to the table.
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