SEATTLE — This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
Starbucks is laying off 974 employees in Seattle and Kent, according to Washington’s Employment Security Department.
Starbucks announced last month it was laying off around 900 non-retail employees and closing some stores in the U.S. and Canada.
Starbucks closes 31 stores in Washington
Starbucks subsequently closed a total of 31 stores in Washington, including nine in Seattle—leaving 369 Starbucks retail workers jobless, The Seattle Times reported. Among the nine stores was the Seattle Reserve Roastery and its SoDo Reserve Store.
The closures left workers without options, as they were not transferred to other stores, according to Starbucks Workers United.
Workers protest store closures
In response, Starbucks baristas and local union leaders protested store closures outside the company’s headquarters earlier this week.
“It’s crazy to wake up and learn from social media that you lost your job before your company tells you,” Trent Lytle-Hogue, a barista at the Reserve Roastery for two years, said.
Starbucks Workers United previously led a protest in late September, with workers citing understaffing, low pay, and retaliation for union organizing.
Starbucks CEO’s response
A letter sent by Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol last month stated that stores were falling short of financial performance targets or were failing to create the environment customers expect, according to The Associated Press.
“Each year, we open and close coffeehouses for a variety of reasons, from financial performance to lease expirations,” Niccol wrote. “This is a more significant action that we understand will impact partners and customers. Our coffeehouses are centers of the community, and closing any location is difficult.”
Starbucks said it expects to end its fiscal year with 124 fewer stores in North America than the year before.
Contributing: Frank Sumrall and Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest; The Associated Press
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