星巴克史上最大罷工？

美國星巴克工會（SBWU）宣布大規模罷工，主因為談判破裂與多項勞動法違規指控，成為品牌歷史上規模可能最大的一次工運行動。

工會表示，已向國家勞資關係委員會（NLRB）提交大量不公平勞動行為（ULP）指控，這通常為罷工的法律前提。星巴克與工會自 2024 年 4 月啟動全國談判，但之後進展停滯，工會遂決定升高行動。

The Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) union has launched a large-scale strike following stalled national bargaining and what it describes as repeated violations of labor law, marking what could become the longest and most consequential labor action in the company’s history.

在週四的記者會上，首家成功工會化門市的成員 Michelle Eisen 表示，SBWU 已準備擴大罷工，並可能成為星巴克史上「最長、最具影響」的一場罷工。前一次紀錄為 2022 年波士頓門市的 64 天罷工。

The union has filed a substantial number of unfair labor practice (ULP) charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a typical legal prerequisite for striking. Although Starbucks and SBWU began national negotiations in April 2024, discussions have since reached a standstill, prompting the union to escalate its actions.

Eisen 指出，工會已展開內部動員，包含選出「罷工隊長」（strike captains）負責統籌各店準備工作，強化由基層員工領導的組織力，提升罷工的實際執行能力。

During a Thursday press conference, Michelle Eisen, a member from the company’s first unionized store, stated that SBWU is prepared to expand the strike and that the work stoppage could surpass all past actions in duration and impact. The previous record was a 64-day single-store strike in Boston in 2022. Eisen added that the union has intensified internal mobilization, electing “strike captains” across stores to coordinate preparation and strengthen worker-led shopfloor leadership.

來自紐約的星巴克咖啡師兼工會成員 Dachi Spoltore 表示，門市於尖峰時段人力不足，使員工更願意參與罷工。「三、四人要撐起整家店」的狀況已成為引爆員工怒火的原因之一。

星巴克則低估罷工規模，表示不認為有 65 家門市或 1,000 名員工參與，並稱工會的估算「頂多只是推測」。公司強調，受影響的門市不到 1%，而工會僅代表不到 4% 的星巴克員工。

Starbucks barista and union member Dachi Spoltore said that chronic understaffing during peak hours has pushed more workers to support a strike, noting that “three- or four-person floors” have made daily operations unmanageable.

星巴克全球夥伴長 Sara Kelly 在 11 月曾表示希望工會不要罷工，並強調公司近期在勞動條件上的投資，包括大量招募與晉升副店長等措施；但工會主席 Lynne Fox 則反擊，談判破裂主因於薪資、福利與經濟方案，並指控星巴克拒絕或曲解工會提案。

Starbucks disputed the reported scale of the strike, saying it does not believe that 65 stores or 1,000 workers are involved. In a statement, the company said it was “disappointed that Workers United, which represents less than 4% of our partners, has called for a strike,” adding that fewer than 1% of its stores were experiencing disruptions.

美國工會運動背景分析：政治局勢轉變增加 SBWU 壓力 SBWU 在過去四年透過基層組織、選舉勝利、投資人倡議與政治施壓逐步擴大力量，但至今仍無法與星巴克達成第一份正式合約。拜登政府期間，NLRB 曾以未結案的 ULP 指控為由，阻擋公司支持的「去工會化」投票（decertification），在一定程度上保護 SBWU。

Earlier in November, Sara Kelly, Starbucks EVP and chief partner officer, expressed hope that the union would not strike and highlighted the company’s investments in store labor, including hiring and promoting thousands of assistant store managers. However, Workers United president Lynne Fox said negotiations collapsed over economic proposals, asserting that Starbucks rejected or misrepresented the union’s wage and benefits proposals and that the company’s offer was insufficient.

然而，隨著全國「右派工作法律基金會」（National Right to Work Legal Defense Fund）向 NLRB 施壓要求允許去工會化投票，政治環境可能正在轉變，使 SBWU 需以更強行動迫使星巴克重返談判桌。

Political and labor context: New pressures on SBWU Despite four years of electoral wins, shopfloor organizing, investor engagement and political advocacy, SBWU still has not secured a first contract. During the Biden administration, the NLRB largely prevented decertification elections at stores with outstanding ULP charges, indirectly protecting the union. But political conditions may be shifting, with the National Right to Work Legal Defense Fund pressuring the NLRB to allow decertification petitions to move forward.

目前星巴克仍面臨銷售增長停滯，即使新 CEO Brian Niccol 上任一年多後，業績尚未回到高速成長期。業界認為，此一財務壓力可能成為工會迫使公司重新談判的重要槓桿。

These developments increase pressure on SBWU to force Starbucks back to the bargaining table. With store traffic still flat more than a year into CEO Brian Niccol’s tenure, Starbucks’ fragile recovery remains a potential leverage point for the union.