Just hours after Bruce Harrell conceded the narrow Seattle mayoral race to her, Mayor-elect Katie Wilson joined striking Starbucks employees on the picket line and urged people to boycott the company.
Following up on her pro-labor platform that got her to City Hall, Wilson told constituents to not buy coffee from one of the city’s best-known brands.
Wilson received loud cheers on Thursday when she spoke at a Starbucks Workers United rally outside the recently closed Reserve Roastery on Capitol Hill.
“That is why I am proud to join them on their picket line and proud to say loud and clear, I am not buying Starbucks and you should not either,” Wilson said.
She then led a chant often heard during political protests: “When workers’ rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back.”
Several unionized Starbucks workers in Seattle and other cities went on strike Thursday as contract negotiations with the company have stalled.
Wilson isn’t the only public official putting pressure on the coffee giant.
Wilson’s call for a Starbucks boycott was echoed by another labor advocate: New York City’s Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who posted online Thursday, “While workers are on strike, I won’t be buying any Starbucks, and I’m asking you to join us.”
On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) sent a letter to the company’s CEO urging Starbucks to return to the negotiating table in good faith.
Starbucks did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. This story will be updated if KUOW receives a response.