Over 1K unionized Starbucks workers strike on 'Red Cup Day'
Over 1K unionized Starbucks workers expected to go on strike today
Over 1,000 unionized Starbucks workers plan to strike at 65 stores throughout the country today to protest a lack of progress in labor negotiations with the company.
NEW YORK - Over 1,000 unionized Starbucks workers will go on strike today to protest the lack of progress in contract talks.
Starbucks workers strike on ‘Red Cup Day’
What we know:
The strike, which is expected to affect 65 stores in 45 cities across the country, is intended to disrupt the company's "Red Cup Day." Several of the affected stores are located in New York.
Employees are seeking better pay, as well as improved hours and staffing in stores.
Starbucks made it clear that the majority of its stores will operate as usual today.
There is currently no set date for the strike to end.
Dig deeper:
Over 50 Starbucks locations in New York City closed without warning last month, leaving both employees and landlords confused.
Starbucks baristas gather outside a Starbucks store as they protest against the company during a rally to demand a new contract in New York City, on October 28, 2025. The Starbucks Workers United is fighting for a new contract that delivers improved
New York City's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection filed a lawsuit against Starbucks for "wrongfully terminating an employee" earlier this year.
According to the lawsuit, an investigation conducted by the department found that Starbucks illegally fired longtime barista Karmen Rich on December 27, 2023, without just cause.
More than 1,000 Starbucks workers went on strike in May of this year to protest a company dress code that limits what employees can wear beneath their green aprons.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 23: Starbucks employees, union members and supporters strike outside of a Starbuck store which is closed down due to the strike on December 23, 2024 in New York City. Starbucks Workers United stated that union workers in
Starbucks Workers United says the company should have negotiated the policy with the union, which represents workers at over 570 of Starbucks’ roughly 10,000 company-owned stores.
Workers also went on strike in December of last year to similarly protest a lack of progress in contract negotiations with the company.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 23: Striking Starbucks union members form a picket line in front of a Starbucks they have closed down by not showing up for work, December 23, 2024, in the borough of Brooklyn, New York City. Union members are demanding
What is ‘Red Cup Day’?
The backstory:
Customers who order a handcrafted holiday or fall beverage will receive a free Starbucks reusable red cup at certain stores.
NEW YORK, USA - NOVEMBER 12: A woman drinks Starbucks coffee in a red cup as people on social media are responding to criticism that Starbucks is waging a war on Christmas with its plain red holiday cup in New York, USA on November 12, 2015. (Photo b
The Source: This article includes reporting from The New York Post.