Overview
- New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Seattle mayor-elect Katie Wilson urged people to stop buying Starbucks while baristas strike for a first contract.
- Starbucks Workers United launched an open-ended “Red Cup Rebellion,” beginning with roughly 1,000 workers walking out at about 65 stores to target one of the chain’s busiest promotional days.
- Major labor and activist groups including the AFL-CIO, SEIU and the No Kings Alliance pledged solidarity and told supporters not to cross picket lines, spotlighting CEO pay in their appeals.
- Starbucks said it has been meeting with Workers United, remains willing to negotiate, and that nearly all U.S. locations are open, noting unionized stores account for a small share of its workforce.
- Union organizers say bargaining has stalled for months and cite hundreds of unresolved NLRB unfair-labor-practice cases, warning the strike and boycott could expand if talks do not resume.