Starbucks baristas gather outside a Starbucks store as they protest the company during a rally to demand a new contract in New York, October 28, 2025. Starbucks Workers United is fighting for a new contract that provides improved staff hours, take-home pay and workplace protections for baristas. (Photo by TIMOTHY A.CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A.CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Timothy A. clary | Afp | Getty Images
Starbucks Workers United has authorized an indefinite strike that could begin on Red Cup Day, one of the coffee chain’s biggest sales days of the year, the union announced Wednesday.
The union is preparing to strike in more than 25 cities if it does not reach a collective agreement with Starbucks by November 13, this year’s Red Cup Day. The two sides have not engaged in active negotiations to reach an agreement after negotiations broke down late last year. Starbucks and the union entered into mediation in February and hundreds of barista delegates voted against the economic package proposed by Starbucks in April.
The strike authorization won 92% of the vote, according to Starbucks Workers United.
The union is pushing for improved hours, higher wages and a resolution to hundreds of unfair labor practice charges filed against Starbucks.
The strike would conflict with Starbucks’ annual giveaway of reusable red cups bearing the company’s logo with every purchase. The freebie has become a collector’s item for the coffee giant’s biggest fans.
With no end date in sight, the strike would also disrupt Starbucks’ holiday season, which falls during the company’s first fiscal quarter and is one of the busiest times of the year for the coffee chain. Customers flock to its cafes for seasonal drinks like its peppermint mocha, as well as gift cards and other merchandise.
Workers United, which began organizing at Starbucks in 2021, says it now represents more than 12,000 workers in more than 650 stores. (The company told CNBC that the union only represents workers at 550 cafes, which is why some stores have closed over time.)
In a statement, Starbucks said it would be ready to serve customers at its nearly 18,000 company-operated and licensed stores during the holiday season.
“We are disappointed that Workers United, which represents only about 4 percent of our partners, voted to strike instead of returning to the bargaining table. When they are ready to return, we will be ready to talk,” Starbucks spokeswoman Jaci Anderson said.
Starbucks said any agreement with the union must reflect the reality that it “already offers the best jobs in retail, including more than $30 an hour on average in pay and benefits for hourly partners.” Facts show that people love working at Starbucks. Partner engagement is increasing, revenue is almost half the industry average, and we receive over a million applications per year.
The company is in the middle of a turnaround plan led by new CEO Brian Niccol, nicknamed “Back to Starbucks,” that has started to gain momentum. Starbucks announced during its fiscal fourth quarter that its same-store sales returned to growth for the first time in nearly two years. The coffee chain’s global same-store sales increased 1%, driven by international markets. Its same-store sales in the United States remained stable in the quarter, but turned positive in September.
Starbucks also announced a billion-dollar restructuring plan in September that involves closing some 500 of its North American stores, according to analyst estimates, and laying off 900 employees in non-sales positions.