The Tampa chapter of Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) joined in with what the union described as a nationwide “The Strike Before Christmas” on Christmas Eve.
Last Tuesday morning, SBWU expected over 5,000 workers to walk off the job in over 300 locations in 45 states. The strike lasted seven hours. Starbucks told NPR that less than 200 stores did not open as a result of the strike.
“We are here today for a strong contract that demands that Starbucks automatically remedies all unfair labor practices that they have yet to remedy.” Blake Smallen, 25, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay,
Smallen’s chapter, at the coffee chain’s location on the corner of N Dale Mabry Highway and Linebaugh Avenue, voted to unionize over the summer and has around 20 union members. It is the only unionized Starbucks in Tampa. Another location in Clearwater also held actions earlier in the day and both locations remained open for business while the picketers maintained the line.
[content-1] “Understaffing, lousy pay, that is how your coffee’s made,” SBWU members like Bee Evens chanted, alongside other sayings like, “No contract, no coffee” and “What do you want? A contract. And when do we want it? Now.”
Evans, 20, told CL they saw all the regulars they would see on a normal daily work shift and those regulars yielded in support as they drove through the drive-through line. Some regulars refused to buy coffee as a show of solidarity.
According to a statement released from Starbucks, “The union chose to walk away from bargaining last week. We are ready to continue negotiations when the union comes back to the barraging table.”
Reuters said that earlier this month, SBWU rejected an offer of no immediate wage raises and a guarantee of a 1.5% pay increase in future years.
The union however said it engaged in hundreds of hours of bargaining yet the package the company was offering did not meet their demands. A wage increase for union baristas was not included in the package and the increase in pay only amounted to less than 50 cents for the majority of workers. Additionally the union claims it hasn’t seen economic improvements across the board and a lack of resolution for hundreds of court cases that have been filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for unfair labor practices.
Last Friday on WMNF public affairs program “The Skinny,” Smallen said he believes base pay at his store starts at just above $15 an hour.
“And of course, in Tampa, you can’t find a one bedroom for under $1,200 a month now. So this is absolutely not a living wage. We need something better—and if Starbucks is able to pay their CEO $57,000 per hour, I think we can do a little better for the people who make the company run,” he added.
The Guardian reported that Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol’s annual salary is $1.6 million, adding that he has the opportunity to earn up to $23 million worth of share-based bonuses each year, as well as a cash bonus worth nearly $3.6 million depending on the company’s performance. The contract, if paid out in full, would bring Niccol’s pay to $113.2 million, according to the publication.
UPDATED 12/30/24 12:13 p.m. Updated with additional comments from Blake Smallen, plus links to a Guardian story re: the salary of Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol.
