Starbucks workers in Williamsburg strike during morning rush
Around a dozen baristas walked the picket line outside the store to put pressure on the corporation to allow them to unionize.
More Stories
Starbucks workers at the Reserve location on North Seventh Street in Williamsburg went on strike Thursday morning during the morning rush.
Around a dozen baristas walked the picket line outside the store to put pressure on the corporation to allow them to unionize. They also urged customers to get their lattes somewhere else.
The strike comes on one of their busiest sales days of the year-- Red Cup Day. It's a day when Starbucks hands out holiday-themed cups and is known to attract customers from far and wide.
"We'd like the immediate installment of benefits that nonunion stores have been given. Just for today, we would see that as a show of good faith," said CJ Toothman, a barista.
More than 200 stores nationwide are participating in the strike.
In regards to the strike, Starbucks issued the following statement:
"We are aware that Workers United has publicized a day of action at a small subset of our U.S. stores today. We remain committed to working with all partners, side-by-side, to elevate the everyday, and we hope that Workers United’s priorities will shift to include the shared success of our partners and working to negotiate contracts for those they represent. We call on Workers United to respond to our invitations to bargain contracts for the stores they represent - Workers United hasn't agreed to meet to progress contract bargaining in more than five months."
