Unionized Starbucks workers are walking off the job on Thursday after their labor group authorized a strike as they push to secure a first labor contract.
Starbucks Workers United is calling the strike the “red cup rebellion,” since the strike coincides with the coffee chain’s annual Red Cup Day promotion, when it gives away free reusable holiday cups at its retail locations. Starbucks Workers United, which represents more than 9,500 baristas across 550 Starbucks cafes, is asking for better pay, increased staffing and a resolution of labor disputes.
The strike will start with more than 65 stores in over 40 cities across the country, the union said, noting that the labor action has no prescribed end date. Workers United said it is prepared to escalate the strike if Starbucks does not deliver a contract and “resolve unfair labor practice charges.”
“If Starbucks keeps stonewalling a fair contract and refusing to end union-busting, they’ll see their business grind to a halt,” said Michelle Eisen, Starbucks Workers United spokesperson and 15-year barista. “No contract, no coffee is more than a tagline—it’s a pledge to interrupt Starbucks operations and profits until a fair union contract and an end to unfair labor practices are won.”
Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson said the company is seeing “minimal impacts” on Thursday morning across its more than 17,000 U.S. coffee houses. Less than 1% of the company’s stores are impacted by the strike, she noted.
In October, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol told “CBS Mornings” that the company has “the best benefits” and “the best wages” in the industry.
“What their requests to date have been, has been unreasonable,” Niccol said. “We’re willing to, you know, negotiate and have ’em come back to the table and find a solution.”
Starbucks said it offers the equivalent of $30 an hour in pay and employee benefits.
The union announced last week that its members voted to authorize a strike after no contract agreement, with thousands weighing in and an overwhelming majority — 92% — voting in favor, according to the labor group.
“We are disappointed that Workers United, who only represents around 4% of our partners, has voted to authorize a strike instead of returning to the bargaining table,” Anderson told CBS News in a statement. “When they’re ready to come back, we’re ready to talk.”
Contract talks between Starbucks and Workers United began in April 2024 but fell apart in December. The union says it has secured 33 tentative agreements from Starbucks, but maintains that the vast majority are noneconomic proposals.
The strike marks the union’s third national work stoppage in the past year. Workers United last protested in May over Starbucks’ new dress code, and thousands also walked off the job in December 2024.
Cities where Starbucks union workers are striking
Here’s where Workers United said baristas are planning to strike.
- Anaheim, CA
- Long Beach, CA
- San Diego, CA
- Santa Clarita, CA
- Santa Cruz, CA
- Scotts Valley, CA
- Seal Beach, CA
- Soquel, CA
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Lafayette, CO
- Des Plaines, IL
- Evanston, IL
- Geneva, IL
- Alpharetta, GA
- Roswell, GA
- Chanhassen, MN
- Minneapolis, MN
- Saint Louis, MO
- Brooklyn, NY
- New York, NY
- Columbus, OH
- Lewis Center, OH
- Reynoldsburg, OH
- Upper Arlington, OH
- Worthington, OH
- Beaverton, OR
- Damascus, OR
- Eugene, OR
- Gresham, OR
- Portland, OR
- Dickson City, PA
- Lancaster, PA
- Philadelphia, PA
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Dallas, TX
- Denton, TX
- Farmers Branch, TX
- Mechanicsville, VA
- Richmond, VA
- Redmond, WA
- Seattle, WA
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