OMAHA, Nebraska (WOWT) – Two Omaha Starbucks outlets were shuttered Tuesday because the company’s unionized employees went on strike.
The nationwide strike began on Friday in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, with more coffee shop locations in numerous major cities following in the coming days.
Employees at Omaha’s two unionized sites — 72nd and Dodge streets and 125th Street and West Center Road — gathered outside their stores on Christmas Eve morning, holding posters imploring customers to support their contract negotiations. Some people had already gotten into the drive-through line before realizing the coffee shops were closed.
Starbucks Workers United members organized the strikes, claiming that the firm had failed to meet a February commitment to conclude a labor agreement this year. The union also wants the corporation to address any remaining legal issues.
“Striking gives us a voice, which we don’t have yet with the company, even as a union,” said employee Gadget Sansom. “We’re working towards having that voice so this is the only way we can really show that and speak up for ourselves.”
Since its inception in 2021, more than 500 Starbucks locations nationwide have joined the union.
Former United States Senate candidate Dan Osborn was also on the picket line at the West Center location.
“A lot of people want to blame the workers,” Osborn explained. “They want to blame the kids who serve them the coffee. That is absolutely not the case with a $7.00 cup of coffee.
Osborn believes that corporate CEOs, rather than baristas, should take pay cuts to compensate.
“We respect our partners’ right to engage in lawful strike activity, and we appreciate the thousands of partners across the country who are continuing to support each other and deliver the Starbucks experience for our customers,” the company said in a statement on Monday.