LEXINGTON, S.C. — Thousands of Starbucks workers at more than 200 locations across the country walked off the job Thursday, including employees at the Starbucks on Saluda Pointe Drive in Lexington.
These employees said they want consistent hours, a pay increase, health and safety considerations and anti-discrimination policies in a binding contract. They've been on strike since early Thursday morning.
"At around 6:15, I kind of gave them the go-ahead, and they all started taking off their headsets, their apron, and they all clocked out, and then we all formed together in the lobby. Shortly before that, the manager ran into the back to try and hide from us, but obviously, he can't stay in the back for very long cause he's got customers to take care of at the drive-thru," said Vijay Tripathi, lead organizer for Starbucks Workers United in the Midlands.
Tripathi is helping lead the group in this walkout and helped the group unionize in September.
Vijay and about a dozen others said conditions are not fair.
"A lot of partners have had their hours cut. Some have had their hours cut by 30% in some cases. We have a single mom who can't even like afford to pay rent now," Tripathi said.
"We're working a lot harder when we are short-staffed," said Starbucks employee Joshua Gibson.
Employees like Grace Zhou said they want locals to understand this strike is part of a larger movement in solidarity with other people who have similar work conditions.
"We are lucky enough to live in a country where in our very first amendment, we have the right to protest, we have the right to organize. Even if people don't agree with me, I think they can agree, this is a fundamental right. We should be able to exercise this," Zhou said.
"I want to give Starbucks the benefit of the doubt that they're not just going to take the information and, like, use it to villainize us," said Starbucks supervisor Jay Glenn.
In a statement from Starbucks, they say in part that:
"We are aware that workers united has publicized a day of action at a small subset of our U.S. Stores today … We call on workers united to respond to our invitations to bargain contracts for the stores they represent - Workers United hasn't agreed to meet to progress contract bargaining in more than five months."
According to the group of Starbucks employees, this was a one-day strike on the year's highest-grossing sales day for Starbucks. Employees said they'll be back at work Friday at 5 a.m.