Supermajority of Starbucks Workers United Baristas Vote to Authorize Unfair Labor Practice Strike Ahead of Holiday Season
Vote comes as Starbucks has refused to put forth new proposals to meet barista demands on pay, staffing, unfair labor practices
Thousands of allies, supporters backing baristas’ campaign, commit to stop buying Starbucks if baristas are forced to strike
NATIONWIDE – Union baristas announced Wednesday that they have authorized an open-ended unfair labor practice (ULP) strike with 92% voting “yes” ahead of the critical holiday season. The vote comes after six months of Starbucks refusing to offer new proposals to address workers’ demands for better staffing, higher pay, and a resolution of hundreds of unfair labor practice charges.
“Our fight is about actually making Starbucks jobs the best jobs in retail. Right now, it’s only the best job in retail for Brian Niccol,” said Jasmine Leli, a 3-year Starbucks barista and strike captain from Buffalo, NY. “Things have only gone Backwards at Starbucks under Niccol’s leadership, but a fair union contract and the resolution of hundreds of unfair labor practice charges are essential to the company’s turnaround. Too many of us rely on SNAP or Medicaid just to get by, and most baristas still don’t earn a livable wage. In a majority of states, starting pay is just $15.25 an hour—and even then, we’re not getting the 20 hours a week we need to qualify for benefits.”
Union baristas are prepared to turn Starbucks’ Red Cup Day into the Red Cup Rebellion if Starbucks fails to finalize a fair contract by November 13. The strike actions could hit 25+ cities as an opening salvo, and baristas are prepared to escalate if they don’t see new proposals and substantial progress toward finalizing a contract that addresses pay, hours and staffing, and the resolution of hundreds of ULPs.
“Union baristas mean business and are ready to do whatever it takes to win a fair contract and end Starbucks’ unfair labor practices,” said Michelle Eisen, Starbucks Workers United spokesperson and 15-year veteran barista. “We want Starbucks to succeed, but turning the company around and bringing customers back begins with listening to and supporting the baristas who are responsible for the Starbucks experience. If Starbucks keeps stonewalling, they should expect to see their business grind to a halt. The ball is in Starbucks’ court.”
Historic Labor Law Violations
Starbucks’ failure to listen to and support their own baristas is moving them to take drastic action, which could include striking over unfair labor practices. Starbucks is the biggest violator of labor law in modern history with Administrative Law Judges and the National Labor Relations Board finding that Starbucks has committed more than 500 labor law violations. To date, Workers United has filed more than 1,000 ULPs, including more than 125 since January 2025. More than 700 unresolved charges remain, including a set of national ULPs around bad faith bargaining and unilateral policy changes, and specific ULPs around retaliatory firings and discipline.
Trouble Brewing for Starbucks as Union Baristas Escalate Demands
Workers United and Starbucks are not currently engaged in contract negotiations as Starbucks has refused to put forth new proposals that address union baristas’ demands. Elected union delegates overwhelmingly rejected Starbucks’ insufficient contract offer in April 2025 which failed to improve wages or benefits in the first year of the contract and didn’t put forth proposals to address chronic understaffing.
Workers United President Lynne Fox recently penned a column laying out the stakes for Starbucks if it fails to settle a fair contract with Starbucks Workers United baristas before the holiday season. The same week, over 45 major organizations representing more than 85 million people sent a demand letter to Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol urging Starbucks to finalize a fair contract and pledging not to cross picket lines if baristas are forced to strike.
Investors and analysts remain concerned about Starbucks’ business over a year into Niccol’s tenure. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, PIRC, SHARE and Trillium Asset Management sent a letter to the Starbucks Board of Directors in October “expressing concern over stalled negotiations between the company and unionized employees represented by Starbucks Workers United (SBWU), urging Starbucks to restart negotiations with SBWU and promptly reach a first contract.”
The SOC Investment Group also recently wrote to the board sounding the alarm on the company’s underperformance, and major European institutional investors face formal OECD complaints regarding Starbucks’ failure to adhere to international standards on human rights, labor rights, and consumer protection.
Finalizing a fair union contract would cost Starbucks less than one average days’ sales and less than Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol’s nearly $98 million compensation for just four months of work in 2024, which is the biggest CEO-to-worker pay gap in the country.
For over six months, Starbucks has stonewalled union baristas by refusing to put forth new proposals to address their core demands:
- Better hours to improve staffing in our stores. Understaffing is rampant, leading to longer wait times as customer orders stream in. Yet too many baristas still aren’t getting enough hours to pay the bills or meet the threshold for benefits. Starbucks needs to invest in increasing barista hours.
- Higher take-home pay. Too many baristas struggle to get by, while executives make millions. Starbucks needs to put more money toward barista’s take-home pay.
- Resolution for hundreds of outstanding unfair labor practice charges for union busting. The coffee giant has committed more labor law violations than any employer in modern history. Starbucks needs to fully resolve legal issues impacting baristas.
See the complete bargaining timeline HERE.
FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES: starbucksmedia@workers-united.org
