Starbucks Workers Stage Largest Strike in Company History Amid Ongoing Unionization Efforts
About 2,500 Starbucks workers are on strike across 85 cities and 120 stores amid ongoing contract talks. The Starbucks Workers United union, which represents roughly 11,000 baristas at more than 550 stores, has warned of a wider escalation if concessions are not made.
The union movement began with the Buffalo, NY, store which voted 19-8 to unionize in December 2021, marking the first Starbucks union store and catalyzing a wave of union elections. Since then, the union has won more than 650 elections and lost around 120.
Starbucks has responded by closing 59 unionized stores. Leadership has changed several times, with Kevin Johnson stepping down, Howard Schultz returning, and later Laxman Narasimhan and Brian Niccol becoming CEOs. Bargaining has stalled under Niccol, and no first contract has yet been agreed upon.
Protests began on Red Cup Day in 2022 and 2023. In November 2025, over 1,000 workers walked off, expanding a week later to 65 cities and 95 stores with about 2,000 striking employees. By November 28, the strike expanded to approximately 2,500 baristas across 120 stores and included a distribution center.
Starbucks claims that 99% of its 17,000 US locations remain open, citing record holiday sales. The company states that pay and benefits average about $30 per hour and that turnover is below the industry average.
The Starbucks Workers United union has filed hundreds of unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Dozens of union leaders have been fired, though the company denies wrongdoing and some workers have since been reinstated.
Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su highlighted that it usually takes about 15 months to win a first contract but noted that at Starbucks it has taken approximately 48 months since the Buffalo vote, arguing that these delays represent a union-busting tactic.
Political pressure has grown, with more than 100 members of Congress urging negotiations. New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Seattle mayor-elect Katie Wilson have joined picket lines, with Mamdani appearing alongside Senator Bernie Sanders.
This strike is the longest and largest in Starbucks history and occurs within a broader wave of unionization and labor movement action. The ongoing tension persists four years after the initial Buffalo victory.
