MN Starbucks workers join nationwide strike

Starbucks baristas in St. Anthony join The Strike Before Christmas

ST. ANTHONY, Minn. (FOX 9) – The background: Dozens of angry Starbucks baristas demonstrated outside the St. Anthony store on Tuesday, demanding higher wages and better working conditions. The workers, who joined a nationwide strike by more than 5,000 other baristas, forced the store to close for a day.

The strike, which began Friday and quickly spread to more than 300 stores in multiple states, led to the temporary closure of about 170 stores, according to Starbucks.

Which led to the strike: Starbucks baristas said the company spent millions of dollars on executive compensation in 2024 but did not give employees a raise. They said the CEO makes more than $50,000 an hour. According to Starbucks, they earn an average of $18 an hour. Baristas also have concerns about staffing and want better schedules.

What they say: Many baristas said they often struggle to pay their bills and are unable to continue living on their current wages.

“My salary is nowhere near enough to live alone, let alone with a roommate,” said Ava Lebreck. “My family has big problems. It wasn’t until about four months later that we turned the power back on.”

Other baristas shared similar sentiments.

“We have to fight for what we need and we have to fight to survive,” Abby Haland said. “We live paycheck to paycheck. We have to fight for better wages.”

Starbucks is downplaying the impact of the strike, saying most stores will not be affected

How the company reacts: The Seattle-based coffee chain said the strike forced fewer than 200 of its more than 10,000 stores to temporarily close.

In a statement Tuesday, Starbucks said in part: “Workers United delegates ended our bargaining session early this week. It is disappointing that they have not returned to the negotiating table…”

The company also said the union’s demands for wage increases were “unsustainable.”

What’s next?: The strike ends on Tuesday. The baristas will go back to work at Christmas and continue trying to reach an agreement.