Six days after two Indiana Starbucks locations closed as part of the multinational coffee chain's Back to Starbucks restructuring plan, unionized employees of the Starbucks on Mass Ave briefly walked off the job in a "practice picket" Oct. 2.
Roughly 20 Starbucks employees and supporters chanted and marched with signs that read "No contract, no coffee" and "Just practicing for a fair contract" in the shade of the café at 430 Massachusetts Ave. The hour-long demonstration was part of a recent national picketing effort by Starbucks Workers United across 35 U.S. cities, according to a news release from the union. Workers United members have staged rallies over the last week calling for improved staffing in stores and higher take-home pay as negotiations for a new contract with Starbucks