Five Philadelphia Starbucks Stores Close
At least five Starbucks locations are closed for business on Monday as workers in those stores have gone on strike.
The union representing those employees is criticizing the coffee chain for an “unprecedented union-busting campaign.”
The stores that are closed are the following locations:
- Starbucks - 10th and Market
- Starbucks - Penn Medicine Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine
- Starbucks - 20th and Market
- Starbucks - Broad and Spring Garden
- Starbucks - 9th and South Street
The closures come as the union representing the employees — Starbucks Workers United — is touring the country calling on better labor practices for the coffee giant.
"(We are) fighting for the right to organize free from fear, intimidation, or coercion from Starbucks; the right to work in a safe, secure, and respectful workplace; a living wage, guaranteed hours, and consistent scheduling; and fairness in the workplace, including a grievance procedure and protection from unjust discipline," the union said in a statement.
Additionally, Starbucks Workers United is calling on the city to close the Starbucks kiosk located outside of City Hall in Dilworth Plaza.
Earlier this summer workers started a campaign for the company to close that location in Dilworth Park, City Hill. At the time, they called on city officials to replace Starbucks with a local coffee shop. They say the kiosk is part of a union-busting effort led by the company across the country.
Starbucks does not own the Dilworth Park Kiosk, the Philly Voice reports. It incorporates the brand through a licensing agreement with Pennsport's Brûlée Catering. It is not one of the Philly locations accused of violating other union-busting tactics.