Starbucks Workers Stage Largest Strike Yet on Red Cup Day

Over 5,000 Employees Expected to Participate in 'Red Cup Rebellion' Amid Ongoing Unionization Efforts

Thousands of Starbucks employees across the US staged a walkout on Red Cup Day, one of the busiest days for the coffee chain, in what organizers claim is the largest strike in the two-year-old effort to unionize the company’s stores.
The union, Starbucks Workers United, is demanding that Starbucks address staffing and scheduling issues and turn off mobile ordering on promotion days like Red Cup Day that often result in a surge of customers without additional staffing.
Starbucks Workers United, which represents over 9,000 workers at hundreds of stores, expected more than 5,000 workers from about 200 stores to participate in the strike, dubbed the 'Red Cup Rebellion'.
Despite the strike, Starbucks stated that the majority of the stores remained open and were serving customers, with the company claiming that fewer than 100 stores were participating in the strike.
The union's demands include stronger workplace protections, better wages, guaranteed hours, consistent schedules, and improved health care coverage. However, Starbucks and the union have yet to reach a labor agreement.