Starbucks Workers United union members rallied outside a Starbucks in Park Slope.
Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
One week into its open-ended unfair labor practices (ULP) strike, Starbucks Workers United is escalating its action, with hundreds of baristas in 25 additional cities joining picket lines. More than 2,000 Starbucks baristas are now striking at 95 stores in 65 cities, and new stores continue filing for union elections — including five non-union shops that submitted petitions this week.
The strike began Nov. 13 at about 65 unionized Starbucks stores in more than 40 cities under the banner “Red Cup Rebellion.” Workers are calling for the resolution of ULP charges — Workers United has filed more than 1,000, and more than 650 remain unresolved, including charges involving bad-faith bargaining, unilateral policy changes, and retaliatory firings and discipline — as well as better pay and staffing.
Workers United, now 11,000 members strong, is one of the fastest-growing unions in the country. Members say they are prepared to stage the largest and longest strike in company history if Starbucks does not return to the bargaining table with a fair contract. The union argues that such a contract — addressing pay, staffing, and ULPs — would cost the company less than one average day of sales and less than CEO Brian Niccol’s $96 million compensation after four months on the job.
Outside a Starbucks on Fourth Avenue in South Slope, Kai Fritz, a barista at the Caesar’s Bay Shopping Center location and a strike captain, told Brooklyn Paper that workers are committed to staying out until the Seattle-based chain makes a viable offer.
Starbucks Workers United union members rallied outside a Starbucks in Park Slope, Brooklyn.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann 
Starbucks Workers United union members rallied outside a Starbucks in Park Slope, Brooklyn.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
“We know it’s gonna take a lot for them to come back to the table. And so we’re prepped to be out here in the cold at different stores,” Fritz said.
In a statement to Brooklyn Paper last week, a Starbucks spokesperson claimed that Workers United abandoned bargaining in April and took an incomplete framework to delegates for a vote.
Fritz countered that the company had proposed “unlivable” wages.
“We had [proposed] different versions of what pay could look like, of what benefits could look like, so that workers do not have to live paycheck to paycheck,” Fritz said. “They rejected all of those and gave us a completely unacceptable offer. They say that we walked away from the table, but in reality, they were not sending people who could make decisions.”
Working for Starbucks is more taxing than many assume, Fritz added.
“I’ve spoken to so many Starbucks workers recently who aren’t unionized, saying that they know what kind of abuse this company does against their workers, and they know how hard it is to work this job,” Fritz said.
Fritz said the support striking baristas have received from other unions, elected officials like Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Bernie Sanders, and the broader community has been encouraging.
“Being on strike is hard and also taxing in its own way,” Fritz said. “But it’s also great to see people come out of the woodwork and really support our movement, because they know what’s right, and they also know who’s going to win here.”
Starbucks Workers United union members rallied outside a Starbucks in Park Slope, Brooklyn.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann 
Starbucks Workers United union members rallied outside a Starbucks in Park Slope, Brooklyn.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
Workers United is urging customers not to cross picket lines and to stop buying from the coffee chain in solidarity with baristas.
Fritz said many customers have formed personal connections with their baristas over time.
“I know your exact order. I know you get three sugars, not four. I know you get the Grande size, but you put it in the Venti cup so you have extra room. I know that your kids just graduated,” Fritz said. “If you want to keep getting coffee that you like and keep having these conversations that make you feel like this is your community, you should support the people who create that environment for you.”
Brooklyn Paper has reached out to Starbucks for comment on the escalating strike and is awaiting a response.