Starbucks Workers United union strikes on Red Cup Day
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Workers picket in front of a Starbucks outlet in New York City, U.S., Oct. 1, 2025. Brendan McDermid | Reuters Starbucks Workers United launched an open-ended strike in at least 40 cities Thursday on Red Cup Day, one of the chain’s biggest sales days of the year. The protest, which the union says involves more than 1,000 baristas in over 65 stores, comes after Workers United voted to authorize an open-ended strike after baristas and the coffee giant failed to reach a collective bargaining agreement. The strike could hurt business during Starbucks’ busy holiday season, which typically provides a sales boost and will be key to the chain’s plan to turn around performance in the U.S. under new CEO Brian Niccol. Starbucks broke a nearly two-year streak of same-store sales declines in its most recently reported quarter. Past strikes have impacted less than 1% of its stores, the company said. The union is pushing for improved hours, higher wages and the resolution of hundreds of unfair labor practice charges levied against Starbucks. The two parties have not been in active negotiations to reach a contract after talks between them fell apart late last year. Starbucks and the union entered into mediation in February, and hundreds of barista delegates voted down the economic package Starbucks proposed in April. Both sides have pointed blame at the other for failure to reach a bargaining agreement, and say they’re ready to negotiate. Workers United, which began organizing at Starbucks in 2021, says it now represents more than 12,000 workers across more than 550 stores. The company last week told CNBC that the union only represents 9,500 workers at 550 cafes. The baristas say they are prepared to escalate the work stoppage, threatening to make this “the largest, longest strike in company history if Starbucks fails to deliver…
