{"id":39535,"date":"2025-11-14T16:10:17","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T16:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/39535\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T16:10:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T16:10:17","slug":"brooklyn-starbucks-baristas-join-national-red-cup-rebellion-striking-for-a-fair-contract-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/39535\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooklyn Starbucks baristas join national \u2018Red Cup Rebellion,\u2019 striking for a fair contract \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over one thousand Starbucks baristas at about 65 unionized stores in 40+ cities across the country walked off the job on November 13, turning the coffee giant\u2019s famous Red Cup Day\u2014 the company\u2019s busiest day of the year \u2014into the \u201cRed Cup Rebellion\u201d unfair labor practice strike.<\/p>\n

\"\"Starbucks union baristas and allies rally as part of a nationwide labor practice strike outside a Starbucks in Clinton Hill. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann<\/p>\n

The baristas\u2019 union, Starbucks Workers United, which represents over 12,000 baristas at more than 600 union stores, says that Starbucks has been stonewalling progress toward a fair union contract, which, according to Workers United, would cost the company less than one average day\u2019s sales and less than Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol\u2019s $96 million compensation after just four months on the job.<\/p>\n

Last April, elected union delegates\u00a0overwhelmingly rejected<\/a> Starbucks\u2019 contract offer, which Workers United says failed to improve wages or benefits in the first year of the contract and didn\u2019t put forth proposals to address chronic understaffing.<\/p>\n

The open-ended strike comes after six months of Starbucks refusing to offer new proposals, addressing understaffing, better pay, and a resolution to hundreds of outstanding unfair labor practice (ULP) charges related to union busting -Workers United has filed more than 1,000 ULPs, including over 125 since Jan. 2025. More than 700 charges remain unresolved, including national ULPs around\u00a0bad faith bargaining\u00a0and\u00a0unilateral policy changes, as well as ULPs concerning retaliatory firings and discipline.<\/p>\n

In Brooklyn, Starbucks Workers United members and allies protested outside the Starbucks on Lafayette Avenue in Clinton Hill.\n<\/p>\n

\"\"Starbucks union baristas and allies rally as part of a nationwide labor practice strike outside a Starbucks in Clinton Hill. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann \"\"Starbucks union baristas and allies rally as part of a nationwide labor practice strike outside a Starbucks in Clinton Hill. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann<\/p>\n

\u201cThe company has not been negotiating in good faith, has over 700 unfair labor practices that have been left unresolved, and we are here to fight for a fair contract and to fight to resolve these unfair labor practices,\u201d said Saaed, noting that without workers, Starbucks wouldn\u2019t be able to make a profit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not [Niccol] who makes the drinks, who cleans the stores, who heats the food, who opens the store at four in the morning. It is not him who closes the store at 9 p.m.,\u201d said Saaed, who would have to work 2941 years to earn the CEO\u2019s salary. \u201cThese are things that workers do, and without workers, his company will not run. He needs to give us the respect as partners and give us the dignity of negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n

One union captain pointed out that many Starbucks partners didn\u2019t receive the hours necessary to qualify for benefits \u2014 an average of 20 hours a week \u2014 and that many relied on SNAP and Medicaid due to the low pay.<\/p>\n

\u201cBaristas deserve to be able to have a consistent schedule that allows stability; to know that we have enough to cover rent, food, and education. Starbucks knows where we stand. We\u2019ve been clear and consistent about what we need to succeed: better hours, more take-home pay, and resolving legal issues,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

A slew of local politicians, including New York State Assembly Members Phara Souffrant-Forrest and Claire Valdez, City Council Members Alexa Avill\u00e9a and Chi Oss\u00e9, as well as American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, joined the demands for a fair labor contract.<\/p>\n

Avil\u00e9s told the Brooklyn Paper that a dignified union contract was fundamental to New York City, given its status as a union town.
\n\"\"(L-R) Council Member Alexa Avil\u00e9s, Starbucks Barista Rami Saaed, and Assembly Member Claire Valdez joined Starbucks union baristas at the protest. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want all workers to be dignified and their labor to be paid, and we will not stand for exploitation,\u201d Avil\u00e9s said, noting that Niccol\u2019s salary of $96 million was \u201cabsurd and offensive.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have people having to worry about rent, and you have one person making $96 million, it\u2019s obscene, honestly. And the stockholders from that corporation should be offended that that is okay,\u201d Avil\u00e9s said. <\/p>\n

Souffrant-Forrest told the crowd that it was imperative to ensure the baristas received a contract they deserved.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause that $6 coffee they are serving, [we] got to make sure it has some human rights behind it,\u201d Souffrant-Forrest said.\n<\/p>\n

Oss\u00e9 pointed out that Workers United had the power to win the fight.
\n\"\"City Council Member Chi Oss\u00e9 speaks at a Starbucks union rally as part of a nationwide labor practice strike outside a Starbucks in Clinton Hill. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we see our leaders failing us at every single level of government, you are keeping the fire on the feet of our elected officials. And I know, I know, that with your strength, with your inspiration, with your power, we\u2019re going to fight back, and we\u2019re going to fucking win,\u201d Oss\u00e9 said.<\/p>\n

Even the U.S. Congress chimed in on the labor dispute. On Nov. 10, U.S. Senators, including Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and House representatives sent letters to Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol, urging him to negotiate a fair contract.<\/p>\n

Both letters point out that in 2024, Starbucks generated over $3.6 billion in profit and distributed nearly $5 billion in stock buybacks and dividends, while Niccol\u2019s compensation was roughly 6,666 times more than what the average Starbucks worker was paid for the entire year.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite that extravagant spending on executives and shareholders, Starbucks refuses to reach an agreement with its own workers, even though you are less than one average day\u2019s sales apart from a contract,\u201d the letter,<\/a> signed by 26 senators, states.<\/p>\n

In a statement to Brooklyn Paper, Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson said the company experienced \u201cvery minimal\u201d disruption due to the strike, impacting less than 1% of the 17,000 coffeehouses.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe vast majority of our 240,000 partners came to work ready to serve customers and celebrate Reusable Red Cup Day,\u201d Anderson said.\n<\/p>\n

Starbucks also claims that Workers United left the bargaining table and presented an incomplete framework to their delegates for a vote, and that the company has asked Workers United to return to the bargaining table on numerous occasions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve\u00a0been\u00a0very clear\u00a0\u2013 when the union is ready to come back,\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0ready to talk,\u201d Anderson noted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Over one thousand Starbucks baristas at about 65 unionized stores in 40+ cities across the country walked off…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":39536,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[584,23003,98,100,99,2494,4308,23004,9,24,370,63,23005,23006,23007,14094,23008,23009,22927,15254,23010,23011,23012],"class_list":{"0":"post-39535","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brooklyn","8":"tag-alexa-aviles","9":"tag-brian-niccol","10":"tag-brooklyn","11":"tag-brooklyn-headlines","12":"tag-brooklyn-news","13":"tag-chi-osse","14":"tag-clinton-hill","15":"tag-coffee-giant","16":"tag-new-york","17":"tag-new-york-city","18":"tag-newsletter","19":"tag-nyc","20":"tag-phara-souffrant-forrest","21":"tag-red-cup-day","22":"tag-red-cup-rebellion","23":"tag-starbucks","24":"tag-starbucks-barista","25":"tag-starbucks-barista-strike","26":"tag-starbucks-workers-united","27":"tag-strike","28":"tag-unfair-labor-practice","29":"tag-union-baristas","30":"tag-workers-united"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39535\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}