PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — After more than 1,000 unionized Starbucks workers went on strike at 65 U.S. stores Thursday, the fight continued Saturday as Portland-area workers protested a lack of progress in contract negotiations with the company.
The strike was intended to disrupt Starbucks’ Red Cup Day, which is typically one of the company’s busiest days of the year.
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Starbucks Workers United, the union organizing baristas, said Thursday morning that the strike had already closed some stores and was expected to force more to close later in the day. As of Saturday, nine Oregon stores have closed.
Striking workerssay they’re protesting because Starbucks has yet to reach a contract agreement with the union. The union said progress has stalled under Brian Niccol, the company’s current chairman and CEO. The two sides haven’t been at the bargaining table since April.
Shift supervisor Maggie Bolden, who was picketing outside a drive-thru location on Southeast Stark Street, said workers “need Starbucks to come back to the table.”…