RICHMOND, Va. β Protesters gathered outside a Starbucks in Richmond on Thursday to demonstrate against what they call unfair labor practices by the coffee giant.
The demonstration at the store along the 2300 block of West Broad Street was part of a nationwide movement across 40-plus cities in the wake of the company's announcement of a $1 billion restructuring plan in late September that led to hundreds of store closures and employee layoffs.
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Baristas and their supporters rallied to demand better contracts that would provide improved staffing, more work hours, better pay and enhanced workplace protections.
Demonstrators across the country took action against what they describe as Starbucks' efforts to undermine unionization.
Barista Lilith Vought said she and her coworkers were on strike to "impress our labor power against Starbucks in our fight for a fair contract and to protest their unfair labor practices."
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Vought, who has worked for the chain for just over two and a half years, said she loves her job.
"I've got great co-workers here. The job itself, making drinks and brewing coffee, making people happy, that's all I've known my whole life is retail. This is definitely the best iteration of that," Vought acknowledged. "But unfortunately, just with the unequal pay, the unfair labor practices, the union busting, it's taken a lot of the shine away from Starbucks."
As a result, the protesters hope their demonstration will "force Starbucks to come back to the negotiating table" and agree to the workers' call for higher wages.
"I want my coworkers to not have to stress about their bills and be able to come into work and not come in on when they're sick or dealing with life crises," Vought said. "Facing eviction β that's something I faced myself β this job doesn't really pay enough to pay rent on its own. And there was a time where I wasn't sure if I was gonna be able to pay my rent."
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Two Starbucks locations in Richmond, the shops at 1017 N Arthur Ashe Boulevard and 4320 Commerce Road, were abruptly shuttered last month.
Other parts of the Commonwealth with single-store closures included Alexandria, Fairfax, Lynchburg, Martinsville, and Virginia Beach. Two locations were also closed in Arlington, according to USA Today.
Starbucks said it expected to have 18,300 North American locations when its fiscal year ended on Sept. 30. As of June 29, the company had 18,734 locations.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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