(NEXSTAR) – Starbucks workers at more than 110 locations across the United States are planning strikes or walkouts Thursday to protest working conditions, wages and alleged company actions to discourage union organizing efforts , according to a labor group representing thousands of Starbucks employees.
The walkouts would be the “largest coordinated national action taken by Starbucks union stores in campaign history,” with dozens of unionized locations among those where employees will picket, according to a Starbucks Workers press release. United.
The walkouts also coincide with Red Cup Daya holiday-based promotion in which Starbucks provides reusable red cups to customers who make qualifying purchases.
In protest, store workers who stage strikes or walkouts will organize their own “Red Cup Rebellion”, as they call it, to send a message to the company regarding its stance on benefits and the unionization.
“You can’t be pro-LGTBQ, pro-BLM, pro-sustainability and anti-union. This Red Cup Day, we are organizing a voice at work and a real seat at the table,” Michelle Eisen, a Starbucks employee from Buffalo, New York, said in the press release.
More than 110 stores would participate in the walkouts, Starbucks Workers United said, including cafes across at least 25 statesincluding:
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Caroline from the south
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
Workers at some of the Starbucks locations in those states plan walkouts only during certain hours or peak hours, while others appear to plan pickets all day, documents from Starbucks Workers United suggest.
Strikers picketing outside the venues also planned to hand out their own branded mugs to support the union’s efforts.
In a statement shared with Nexstar on Thursday, a Starbucks spokesperson said the company is “aware” of the employee protests and that Starbucks “respects[s] their right to engage in lawful protest activity – although our goal has been, and continues to be, to improve the Starbucks experience for our partners and customers.
“We remain committed to all of our partners and will continue to work together, side by side, to make Starbucks a company that works for everyone,” the statement continued. “In stores where partners have elected union representation, we have wanted and continue to urge the union to meet with us at the bargaining table to move the process forward in good faith.
Starbucks previously said it opposes organizing efforts, saying the company works best when it works directly with employees, the Associated Press reported. Starbucks has also denied using union-busting tactics, despite accusations of firing pro-union employees or closing stores that voted to unionize.
At least 257 Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since late last year, according to the National Labor Relations Board. Starbucks and Workers United have entered into contract talks at 53 stores, with 13 more sessions planned, Starbucks Workers United confirmed to AP. No agreement has been reached so far.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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