After voting overwhelmingly to go on strike if needed to secure a fair union contract, baristas at one of Central Florida’s only unionized Starbucks locations in Oviedo have joined a national strike that began last month, as part of a pressure campaign to get Starbucks to agree to their demands.
Workers at other stores unionized with Starbucks Workers United have gradually joined the strike, leveraging an escalation strategy used by the United Auto Workers union during their “Stand Up” strike against automakers Ford, General Motors and Stellantis in 2023.
“If we get a good contract, that sets a standard that other stores can look at and go, ‘This is better than what the store — this company that says it’s progressive — is offering,’” said Clay Blastic, a local Starbucks barista of more than 10 years. Blastic, a union leader at his store, told Orlando Weekly that they’re fighting for a union contract with Starbucks that not only lifts up the wages and working conditions of unionized baristas, but sets higher standards for others, too…