Starbucks workers in Iowa City and Davenport are joining an escalating national strike Tuesday, Dec. 24.
Starbucks Workers United baristas began unfair labor practice (ULP) strikes Friday, Dec. 20, in three of Starbucks’ largest markets— Seattle, Washington; Los Angeles, California; and Chicago, Illinois—with workers in additional locations joining the strike each day since.
In Iowa City, workers will be protesting from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the 228 S Clinton St. location. In Davenport, workers will be protesting from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the 3120 E 53rd St. location.
According to a news release, this strike is in protest of Starbucks’ failure to bring viable economic proposals to the bargaining table and refusal to resolve hundreds of outstanding unfair labor practice charges.
“Starbucks has lost its way,” Abigail Scheppemann, barista in Iowa City stated in the release. “We know that because we see it every day in our stores. This year Starbucks gave CEO Brian Niccols a compensation package of $113 million, while giving paltry raises to workers – which for most baristas are the equivalent of 30 or 50 cents an hour. It’s insulting and shows their failure to value the people who run their stores, generate their profits, and serve their customers every day.”
Workers at Starbucks in Iowa City had voted unanimously to establish a union in May of 2023. The Clinton Street location had been the first Starbucks store in Iowa to unionize, according to Starbucks Workers United. The Davenport location, 3120 E 53rd St., was the second.
