Starbucks workers join SAG-AFTRA and WGA on picket lines on Friday for 'common fight'

HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Starbucks workers joined actors and writers on the picket lines on Friday as part of the Starbucks Workers United 13-city "Union is Calling" bus tour.

The Starbucks Workers United union has mobilized thousands of Starbucks employees, and the organization says that 440 locations in 46 states have at least filed to unionize.

The SWU joined the SAG-AFTRA and WGA in solidarity, saying that all three unions share a common fight.

"We have a common fight in that we are fighting for a safe workplace. Equitable workplace. A living wage. Something that the WGA has had for decades and the Starbucks employees are fighting for now is the right to organize," said Joshua Griffith, a WGA member and a former Starbucks employee.

Last month, Starbucks employees at dozens of locations nationwide, including some in Los Angeles, staged a walkout in support of their efforts to unionize and fight for a contract with better wages and benefits.

The WGA has been on strike now for 87 days as of Friday, and the SAG-AFTRA is in its third week on the picket lines.

The Hollywood unions are also fighting for better pay and benefits, as well as protections against the use of artificial intelligence.