Bellingham Starbucks staff members participate in nationwide walkout on Christmas Eve
Starbucks baristas shut down four of the coffee giant’s Bellingham stores Tuesday as part of a nationwide walkout over contract negotiations.
Picket lines were set up Tuesday morning at Starbucks coffee shops in Sehome Village, at Iowa and King streets, in Cordata and at Old Fairhaven Parkway.
Striking workers planned to gather for a single display of solidarity later Tuesday at the Sehome Village store, bargaining delegate Lyra Klise told The Bellingham Herald in an interview.
Tuesday’s job action involved 5,000 Starbucks baristas and more than 300 Starbucks stores across 43 states, according to a statement from Starbucks Workers United.
The union said that negotiations stalled when the company offered no raises in first year of the contract.
Strikers said that baristas earn a median wage of $17.50 and hour, compared to what they said was a $50,000 hourly compensation package for CEO Brian Niccol.
