Starbucks Workers Launch Nationwide Strike on Red Cup Day to Demand Fair Pay and Staffing
On November 13, 2025, more than 1,000 Starbucks workers across over 40 US cities went on a coordinated strike timed with Starbucks' annual Red Cup Day. The action was organized by Starbucks Workers United in response to stalled contract negotiations and was aimed at pressing for fair pay and improved staffing levels.
In Brooklyn's Clinton Hill neighborhood, hundreds of striking workers protested, deterring potential customers and booing some who entered stores. The strike, dubbed the 'Red Cup Rebellion' by organizers—including 21-year-old shift supervisor Kaari Harsila—involved an open-ended unfair labor practice strike authorized by Workers United. Since 2021, more than 650 Starbucks stores have unionized, but talks broke down after the union rejected the company's economic proposals.
Starbucks managed to keep most stores open during the strike by deploying regional and district managers, though in Brooklyn three nearby stores were closed and business was slower. The strike garnered public and political support from figures such as New York Assembly member Claire Valdez and American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten, who linked the dispute to broader labor and healthcare rights issues.
Starbucks expressed disappointment that workers chose to strike rather than continue bargaining, stating that the vast majority of stores would be unaffected by the strike.
