Starbucks workers' union plans strike in 3 US cities ahead of Christmas rush

By Gursimran Mehar

(Reuters) -The workers' union representing over 10,000 baristas at Starbucks said its members will strike at stores in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle for five days starting Friday, citing unresolved issues over wages, staffing and schedules.

This is the latest in a series of labor actions that have picked up pace across service industries following a period when workers at manufacturers in the automotive, aerospace and rail industries won substantial concessions from employers.

Amazon workers at seven U.S. facilities walked off the job on Thursday during the holiday shopping rush.

At Starbucks, the Workers United union, which represents employees at 525 stores across the U.S., said late on Thursday that walkouts would escalate daily, and could reach "hundreds of stores" nationwide by Christmas Eve.

The Seattle-headquartered firm said it is ready to continue negotiations, claiming the union delegates prematurely ended the bargaining session this week.

"After all Starbucks has said about how they value partners throughout the system, we refuse to accept zero immediate investment in baristas' wages and no resolution of the hundreds of outstanding unfair labor practices," Lynne Fox, President of Workers United said in a statement.

Negotiations between the company and Workers United began in April, based on an established framework, which could also help resolve numerous pending legal disputes.

The company said it has held more than nine bargaining sessions with the union since April, and reached more than 30 agreements on "hundreds of topics", including economic issues.

Hundreds of complaints have been filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing Starbucks of unlawful labor practices such as firing union supporters and closing stores during labor campaigns. Starbucks has denied wrongdoing and said it respects the right of workers to choose whether to unionize.

Last month, the NLRB said that Starbucks broke the law by telling workers at its flagship Seattle cafe that they would lose benefits if they joined a union.

The coffee chain is undergoing a turnaround under its newly appointed top boss, Brian Niccol, who aims to restore "coffee house culture" by overhauling cafes and simplifying its menu among other measures.

(Reporting by Gursimran Kaur in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Raju Gopalakrishnan)