Union Starbucks Baristas in Santa Cruz County Join Nationwide Strike

Full press release from Starbucks Workers United:

Union Starbucks Baristas Launch Unfair Labor Practice Strike in 40+ Cities Nationwide

November 13, 2025

NATIONWIDE – Over one thousand union baristas launched a “Red Cup Rebellion” unfair labor practice strike Thursday protesting Starbucks’ historic union busting and failure to finalize a fair union contract. The open-ended strike begins with 65 stores across 40+ cities and comes after six months of Starbucks refusing to offer new proposals to address workers’ demands for better staffing, higher pay, and resolution of hundreds of unfair labor practice charges.

“We’re turning the Red Cup Season into the Red Cup Rebellion. Starbucks’ refusal to settle a fair union contract and end union busting is forcing us to take drastic action,” said Dachi Spoltore, a barista of 5 years from the Amos Hall location in Pittsburgh, PA who walked out on strike. “We’re striking for a fair union contract, resolution of unfair labor practices, and a better future at Starbucks. For every one barista on strike, dozens more allies and customers have pledged to honor the picket line and not buy Starbucks while we’re on strike.”

With no set end date to the strike, baristas across more than 550 current union stores are prepared to continue escalating to make this the largest, longest strike in company history if Starbucks fails to deliver a fair union contract and resolve unfair labor practice charges.

“If Starbucks keeps stonewalling a fair contract and refusing to end union-busting, they’ll see their business grind to a halt,” said Michelle Eisen, Starbucks Workers United spokesperson and 15 year veteran barista. “No contract, no coffee is more than a tagline—it’s a pledge to interrupt Starbucks’ operations and profits until a fair union contract and an end to unfair labor practices are won. Starbucks knows where we stand. We’ve been clear and consistent on what baristas need to succeed: more take-home pay, better hours, resolving legal issues. Bring us NEW proposals that address these issues so we can finalize a contract. Until then, you’ll see us and our allies on the picket line.”

Union stores in the following cities began an open-ended unfair labor practice strike on Thursday: Anaheim, CA; Long Beach, CA; San Diego, CA; Santa Clarita, CA; Santa Cruz, CA; Scotts Valley, CA; Seal Beach, CA; Soquel, CA; Colorado Springs, CO; Lafayette, CO; Alpharetta, GA; Roswell, GA; Des Plaines, IL; Evanston, IL; Geneva, IL; Chanhassen, MN; Minneapolis, MN; Saint Louis, MO; Brooklyn, NY; New York, NY; Columbus, OH; Lewis Center, OH; Reynoldsburg, OH; Upper Arlington, OH; Worthington, OH; Beaverton, OR; Damascus, OR; Eugene, OR; Gresham, OR; Portland, OR; Dickson City, PA; Lancaster, PA; Philadelphia, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; Austin TX; Dallas, TX; Denton, TX; Farmers Branch, TX; Mechanicsville, VA; Richmond, VA; Redmond, WA; and Seattle, WA.

Historic Labor Law Violations

Starbucks’ failure to listen to and support their own baristas has forced them to strike over unfair labor practices. Starbucks is the biggest violator of labor law in modern history as Administrative Law Judges (ALJ) at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) have found that Starbucks has committed more than 400 labor law violations.

In a stunning rebuke to Starbucks, an ALJ recently recommended a broad cease and desist order against Starbucks’ unlawful union busting, stating: “[Starbucks] has engaged in a scorched earth campaign and pattern of misconduct in response to union organizing at its stores across the United States. […] I take notice that despite several Board orders and dozens of ALJ decisions, Respondent’s behavior continues unabated.”

To date, Workers United has filed more than 1,000 ULPs, including more than 125 since January 2025. More than 700 unresolved charges remain, including a set of national ULPs around bad faith bargaining and unilateral policy changes, and specific ULPs around retaliatory firings and discipline.

Trouble Brewing for Starbucks as Union Baristas Strike

Workers United and Starbucks are not currently engaged in contract negotiations as Starbucks has refused to put forth new proposals that address union baristas’ demands. Elected union delegates overwhelmingly rejected Starbucks’ insufficient contract offer in April 2025 which failed to improve wages or benefits in the first year of the contract and didn’t put forth proposals to address chronic understaffing.

Workers United President Lynne Fox penned a column laying out the stakes for Starbucks if it fails to settle a fair contract with Starbucks Workers United baristas before the holiday season. The same week, over 45 major organizations representing more than 85 million people sent a demand letter to Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol urging Starbucks to finalize a fair contract and pledging not to cross picket lines if baristas are forced to strike.

Investors and analysts remain concerned about Starbucks’ business over a year into Niccol’s tenure. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, PIRC, SHARE and Trillium Asset Management sent a letter to the Starbucks Board of Directors in October “expressing concern over stalled negotiations between the company and unionized employees represented by Starbucks Workers United (SBWU), urging Starbucks to restart negotiations with SBWU and promptly reach a first contract.”

The SOC Investment Group also recently wrote to the board sounding the alarm on the company’s underperformance, and major European institutional investors face formal OECD complaints regarding Starbucks’ failure to adhere to international standards on human rights, labor rights, and consumer protection.

Earlier this week, more than 100 U.S. Senators and Representatives wrote to Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol and implored him to heed baristas’ demands, writing, “Starbucks must reverse course from its current posture, resolve its existing labor disputes, and bargain a fair contract in good faith with these employees.”

Starbucks is also facing issues with consumers, as shown by a new report released by the Strategic Organizing Center (SOC) on Tuesday based on Nielsen surveys finding Starbucks customers continue to experience long lines and wait times, suggesting the coffee giant has not meaningfully addressed concerns that have persisted in recent years.

Finalizing a fair union contract would cost Starbucks less than one average day’s sales and less than Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol’s $96 million compensation for just four months of work in 2024, which is the biggest CEO-to-worker pay gap in the country and 6,666 times the average barista’s salary.

For over six months, Starbucks has stonewalled union baristas by refusing to put forth new proposals to address their core demands:

* Better hours to improve staffing in our stores. Understaffing is rampant, leading to longer wait times as customer orders stream in. Yet too many baristas still aren’t getting enough hours to pay the bills or meet the threshold for benefits. Starbucks needs to invest in increasing barista hours.
* Higher take-home pay. Too many baristas struggle to get by, while executives make millions. Starbucks needs to put more money toward barista’s take-home pay.
* Resolution for hundreds of outstanding unfair labor practice charges for union busting. The coffee giant has committed more labor law violations than any employer in modern history. Starbucks needs to fully resolve legal issues impacting baristas.

See the complete bargaining timeline HERE: https://sbworkersunited.org/bargaining-timeline/

See the original press release page for embedded links: https://sbworkersunited.org/union-starbucks-baristas-launch-unfair-labor-practice-strike-in-40-cities-nationwide/