Demonstrating outside the New Scotland Avenue Starbucks Thursday morning, roughly 10 employees of the Albany and Clifton Park stores became the first in the Capital Region to join nationwide strikes.
Starbucks Workers United says more than 1,000 union baristas across the country began protesting last week after they say Starbucks has refused to address demands for better staffing and higher pay 18 months after the union presented a national framework for contract negotiations.
In a statement, Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson said the strikes across the country have not caused any meaningful disruption, and that when the union is ready to return to the bargaining table, “we’re ready to talk.” Anderson added that Starbucks offers “the best job in retail,” with pay and benefits averaging $30 an hour for hourly employees.
WAMC’s Andrew Waite spoke Thursday with Lee Wendell, strike captain and a barista at the Clifton Park store, which unionized in 2022.
