114 Starbucks Stores Saw Workers Go on Strike Yesterday
Starbucks has undertaken an unceasing union-busting campaign since the first cafe unionized a year ago. But if the 114 cafes that saw baristas go on strike yesterday for its annual Red Cup Day are any indication, the company won’t be victorious any time soon.
Starbucks workers striking on November 17, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
After enduring months of anti-union attacks and stalling on bargaining, Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) attempted to seize momentum back from Starbucks yesterday. Baristas held a one-day strike — a “Red Cup Rebellion” — at 114 stores around the country.
SBWU targeted Starbucks on the day the company annually gives away free red cups to customers. As many as two thousand baristas who are organizing under the umbrella of Service Employees International Union (SEIU)’s affiliate Workers United gave away their own union-messaged red cups at picket lines across the country.
SBWU also received a boost from a concurrently launched solidarity campaign by Unite, the United Kingdom’s second-largest union, which is now attempting to organize baristas in that country. Starbucks workers in Chile, Brazil, Germany, Serbia, Belgium, and Spain also engaged in solidarity actions.
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