Picketers stand outside the Marysville Starbucks in Washington Square on Christmas Eve. This Marysville Starbucks participated in the nationwide strike authorized by Starbucks Workers United from Dec. 20 to Dec. 24. Photo courtesy of Sacramento Central Labor Council

YUBA-SUTTER, CA (MPG) - Starbucks workers were seen picketing in both Marysville and Yuba City over the holiday week at two locations that joined Starbucks Workers United earlier in 2024. These include a Yuba City Starbucks located at 1615 Colusa Highway and the Marysville Starbucks in Washington Square located at 904 E St.

“We wanted to show our joint support and picket so that way we could feel like we were all together,” said JJ Dizon, a barista and bargaining delegate for Yuba City. 

Dizon has worked at Starbucks for seven years and helped organize the Marysville store this past summer. She said that her Yuba City store did not shut down due to partner hesitations but that the Marysville location did as part of a nationwide strike organized by the Starbucks Workers United union.

“Some partners didn’t feel like they were safe, they felt like they might face retaliation from the company and they didn’t feel like they could afford to do this right before Christmas,” Dizon said. “Marysville, they're a much bigger location and I feel like they just felt like they had more power and more impact to be able to shut down.”

Starbucks Workers United got its start in December 2021 and has since expanded to include approximately 527 stores across 47 states. The primary reason cited for these unionizations were employee concerns (specifically baristas) over short staffing, unpredictable scheduling, low wages, unaffordable healthcare, harassment, broken equipment and unfair discipline.

“Personally, I really wanted to do this for my store because I saw so many of my baristas and coworkers in need, so many of them were telling me about how they couldn't access their benefits because their hours were getting cut and how we were being asked to do more with smaller staffed stores,” said Dizon. “We just weren't getting paid enough to do more.”

Silvia Baldwin, a Philadelphia barista and bargaining delegate, voiced her concerns in an online statement posted to Starbucks Workers United’s website.

“Right now, I’m making $16.50 an hour,” said Baldwin. “Meanwhile, Brian Niccol’s compensation package is worth $57,000 an hour. The company just announced I’m only getting a 2.5% raise next year, $0.40 an hour, which is hardly anything. It’s one Starbucks drink per week. Starbucks needs to invest in the baristas who make Starbucks run.”

For context, Brian Niccol is the former CEO of Chipotle who took on his new position as Starbucks CEO in September. According to the union, his compensation package is worth at least $113 million, approximately 10,000 times the median hourly wage for a barista. On Dec. 16, he publicly announced that starting in March 2025, the company would more than double its paid parental leave program for U.S. store partners who work an average of 20 hours a week or more. This would amount to 18 weeks of fully paid leave for birth parents, and up to 12 weeks of fully paid leave for non-birth parents.

“No other retailer offers a better parental leave benefit for new parents,” said Niccol in a prepared statement. “Our benefit was already the best in retail, but after hearing from some partners who shared the leave as new parents wasn’t adequate, we reviewed the program and have decided we’re making a change.”

As a bargaining delegate, Dizon travels to Los Angeles about once a month to help negotiate the union's contract directly with the company. She said that the new benefits package was something the union brought up in November's bargaining meeting with the company.

“We had found out that the parental leave for retail partners, baristas like me, was six weeks, and that corporate or non-store partners would get 12 weeks, so we questioned why their time with their kids meant more than ours,” said Dizon.

According to Dizon, the timing of Starbucks' new package announcement, Dec. 16, coincided with the travel dates of union delegates who were making their way to the monthly meeting. 

“(We) had to find out from third parties that a new parental leave package was announced and that Starbucks didn't even mention that it was something that we were talking about last month at the bargaining table,” said Dizon.

In addition to this, Dizon said much of the bargaining progress had been stalled on numerous issues such as health and safety conditions, unreliable technology, and low wages. The company had originally committed to an end of year deadline to settle the contract but with that timeline quickly closing in, Dizon and her team were skeptical.

Picketers stand outside the Marysville Starbucks in Washington Square on Christmas Eve. This Marysville Starbucks participated in the nationwide strike authorized by Starbucks Workers United from Dec. 20 to Dec. 24. Photo courtesy of Sacramento Central Labor Council

“They weren't coming to the table with something serious, it felt like they were not authorized to actually negotiate with us or collaborate on the process and were instead just saying ‘we might be able to give you one percent more,’” said Dizon.

In an effort to show their power, Starbucks Workers United voted to authorize a strike, if needed, on Dec. 17, one day after Niccol’s big announcement. The Starbucks company maintains that its numerous “industry leading” benefits averages out to a compensation package equal to about $30 an hour. These benefits include 100% tuition coverage for an online degree from Arizona State University, opportunities to participate in a Bean Stock grant which gives employees an ownership stake in the company, and health benefits included also for part-time workers. 

“These are just some of the benefits we offer,” said Niccol. “We want every partner to know that Starbucks is the best place to work and grow their career.”

Starbucks Workers United planned to start its five-day strike on Dec. 20, a time when Starbucks usually sees a large influx of last-minute holiday shoppers. It's unclear exactly how many Starbucks participated in the strike or closed their doors entirely. Various news outlets claimed anywhere from 100 to 300 Starbucks had to close shop due to picketing. However, Sara Kelly, executive vice president and chief partner officer, approximated that only a total of 60 stores were temporarily closed as of Dec. 24.

“We have over 10,000 company-operated stores across the U.S. that provide work for partners and serve our customers,” said Kelly in a prepared statement. “The vast majority of our stores (97 – 99%) will continue to operate and serve customers, and we expect a very limited impact to our overall operations.”

The Starbucks strike concluded on Dec. 25 and union officials said they are ready to return to the bargaining table. Kelly said that Starbucks is willing to continue negotiations but that the unions proposal for an immediate increase of 64% to hourly minimum wage partners, and up to 77% over the life of a three-year contract, was not sustainable especially considering the investments the company is making to its total benefits package.

“I think that the union has had so much of an effect on things we see in our store every day and it just keeps growing,” said Dizon. “It's such a big movement… This is just the beginning.”