Starbucks workers strike at some stores across country as part of ‘Red Cup Uprising’, union says

0:25 In this Oct. 28, 2025, file photo, Starbucks baristas gather outside a Starbucks store as they protest the company during a rally demanding a new contract in New York. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images, FILE

More than 1,000 Starbucks workers are on strike at about 65 stores in states as far away as California, Texas and Pennsylvania, Starbucks Workers United (SWU), the union that represents workers, told ABC News.

Union members say Starbucks has been unable to make new offers on key issues such as staffing levels and pay since the union rejected the company’s offer in April. The workers are also seeking to resolve hundreds of allegations of illegal labor practices, including claims of retaliation against union members.

“We are turning the Red Cup season into the Red Cup Rebellion. Starbucks’ refusal to enter into a fair union contract and end union busting is forcing us to take strong action,” Amos Hall, a barista at a store in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, told ABC News in a statement.

In a statement to ABC News, Starbucks spokeswoman Jaycee Anderson played down the scope of the expected strike and blamed the union for what she called a refusal to negotiate with the company.

“We’re disappointed that Workers United, which represents only about 4 percent of our partners, voted to authorize a strike instead of coming back to the bargaining table. When they’re ready to come back, we’re ready to talk,” Anderson said.

“Any deal must reflect the reality that Starbucks already offers the best jobs in retail, including more than $30 an hour average wages and benefits for hourly associates,” Anderson added.

Anderson disputed the union’s characterization of the impasse in negotiations, saying the union provided an incomplete proposal to its members for an ill-fated vote in April.

Starbucks Workers United said it represents more than 12,000 barista unions at more than 600 stores. The company gave ABC News a lower estimate, saying the union has 9,500 members in about 550 locations.

This October 28 2025 file photo Starbucks baristas gather outside a Starbucks store as they protest the company during a rally demanding a new contract in New York. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images, FILE

In February 2024, Starbucks Workers United and Starbucks announced that they would work on the “fundamental framework” of a collective bargaining agreement for stores. Negotiations began in April of the same year.

Within months, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol led the company, promising to rejuvenate performance after years of lackluster sales.

The company recently reported that U.S. same-store sales were flat in the three months ended in September, snapping a streak of six straight quarters of decline. Same-store sales are a measure of revenue generated at existing locations over a period of time.

“The plan is working,” Niccol said on a conference call with analysts last month. “We still have a lot of work to do, we’re building momentum.”

Meanwhile, the company and the union have yet to reach an agreement on the contract. According to a Bloomberg Legal Analysis in 2021, the average time it takes for a new union to sign its first contract is 409 days. Approximately 625 days have passed since Starbucks and the union announced their mutual commitment to reach an agreement.

Kate Bronfenbrenner, a professor of labor relations at Cornell University, said Thursday’s strike marked an attempt to pressure Starbucks into negotiations.

“Starbucks employees “Impressive and engaged customer support to bring Starbucks back to the table, they may also need to relaunch a major campaign with investors and other stakeholders to convince Starbucks that achieving the first contract is in the company’s best interest,” Bronfenbrenner said in a statement to ABC News.

Source: abcnews.go.com