More than a thousand unionized Starbucks workers walked off the job across the country on Thursday, demanding concessions from the coffee chain in their contract negotiations.
Starbucks Workers United, the union representing the baristas, said that the strike would affect 65 stores in over 40 cities, and that it was “prepared to continue escalating” its protests if the company failed to deliver a fair new contract.
The stoppage fell on Red Cup Day, an annual promotion during which Starbucks customers receive bright-red reusable cups if they order a holiday-themed beverage. The union will also hold rallies in 17 cities, referring to the action as “Red Cup Rebellion.”
Workers United, which represents more than 12,000 baristas at over 600 locations, voted to authorize the strike last Wednesday, with 92 percent of baristas voting in favor. The union said in a news release that Starbucks had “stonewalled” its baristas, who were seeking better hours, more pay and the resolution of hundreds of unfair labor practice charges.
In a statement made after the strike authorization, Starbucks said that its “commitment to bargaining hasn’t changed,” adding that it believed both parties could “move quickly” toward a contract if unionized baristas “are ready to come back.”
It was the second time in less than 12 months that the union had held a strike, and workers also walked off the job on Red Cup Day in 2022 and 2023. Last December, more than 5,000 baristas at hundreds of stores across the country went on strike after Starbucks did not offer a substantial wage increase during bargaining. That strike lasted five days.
Starbucks baristas also staged walkouts in May to protest a policy change in their dress code that the union said should have been made through collective bargaining.
On Monday, over 100 lawmakers, including Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, penned letters to the Starbucks chief executive, Brian Niccol, urging the company to resolve its labor disputes, and bargain for a fair contract.
“We are troubled by reports that since you started your role as C.E.O. in September 2024, the company has failed to put forward a serious economic proposal, backtracking on the previously agreed-upon path forward,” the letter signed by 26 senators said.
In a similar letter, more than 80 House representatives said, “It is clear that Starbucks has the money to reach a fair agreement with its workers,” asking how it “will reverse course from its current posture.”
Christine Hauser contributed reporting.
Ashley Ahn covers breaking news for The Times from New York.
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