Thousands of unionized Starbucks workers plan to walk off the job Thursday after workers authorized a strike “with no set end date,” after the company failed to reach a contract agreement with the union.
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. 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.
Up to 12,000 of the company’s 200,000 retail workers could walk off the job beginning at 4 p.m. local time. Starbucks said it doesn’t expect a disruption at the “vast majority” of its stores.
The open-ended strike will start with more than 65 stores in over 40 cities across the country, the union said.
“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 CEO Brian Niccol told “CBS Mornings” last month 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.”
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.
Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson previously told CBS News the company is disappointed that the union voted to authorize a strike instead of coming to the bargaining table. “When they’re ready to come back, we’re ready to talk,” she said in a statement last month.
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.
CBS News has reached out to Starbucks.
