More than 1,000 unionized Starbucks baristas in more than 40 U.S. cities have launched an open-ended strike, intensifying their push for a collective bargaining agreement over pay and other benefits at the coffee giant.
The walkout began Thursday, Nov. 13, with 65 stores, Starbucks Workers United said, coinciding with Red Cup Day, a busy holiday sales event that typically drives higher customer visits at its more than 17,000 coffeehouses in the U.S.
The four Iowa outlets that have unionized ― in Des Moines, Iowa City, Davenport and Bettendorf ― are not included in a list Starbucks United provided of stores that could be affected by the initial walkout, though their workers have voted to authorize a strike. The list is at nocontractnocoffee.org…