New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has extended his support and vowed not to buy Starbucks after more than a thousand unionised baristas organised strikes across several US outlets. He also urged others to join him.
Zohran Mamdani shared a tweet about the ongoing strike by Starbucks baristas. (Getty Images via AFP)
“Starbucks workers across the country are on an Unfair Labor Practices strike, fighting for a fair contract. While workers are on strike, I won’t be buying any Starbucks, and I’m asking you to join us,” Mamdani wrote.
“Together, we can send a powerful message: No contract, no coffee,” he added. He shared the tweet in response to a post on the “Starbucks Workers United” X profile.
“As of today, Starbucks workers across the country are officially ON STRIKE. And we’re prepared for this to become the biggest and longest ULP strike in Starbucks history. Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON’T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike!”
How did social media react?
Zohran Mamdani’s post on the Starbucks strike has prompted mixed reactions. While some welcomed the gesture, others mocked the mayor-elect.
An individual wrote, “There are only certain stores that are unionized, approximately 650 out of 10,000. That’s only 6.5% of all the stores. You are barking up the wrong tree with this one.” Another added, “Easy for politicians to boycott when they don’t rely on a $15/hr job. Meanwhile, the strike just leaves regular people stuck paying more or going without. These grandstanding calls for ‘no coffee’ always hit workers harder than corporations.”
A third commented, “Who wants to pay $5-$7 for an overrated cup of coffee in the first place?” A fourth wrote, “I’ll never buy a Starbucks again.”
The strike was intended to disrupt Starbucks’ Red Cup Day. Since 2018, the coffee chain has offered free and reusable cups to customers purchasing holiday drinks on a certain day of the year.
Starbucks Workers United stated that the strike will affect 45 cities across America, including New York, Dallas, Seattle, Ohio, Minneapolis, and Philadelphia. It is an “open-ended” strike, and there is no date set for it to end.
Why are the baristas protesting?
The striking workers said that they are protesting because the coffee chain has not reached a contract agreement with the union.
(With inputs from AP)
