The Starbucks union announced that strikes have now occurred at over 30 locations across the country, including one in Albany, New York. This development comes just after Zoran Mamdani, the newly elected Socialist Party Mayor of New York City, urged citizens to boycott the coffee chain.
Baristas in Albany, specifically at the New Scotland Avenue store, walked off the job on Thursday. On that same day, several senior figures from Mamdani’s incoming administration showed their support by joining the picket line at a Starbucks in Manhattan’s financial district.
Continuing his messaging against corporate practices, Mamdani tweeted, “Making New York City affordable means ending unfair labor practices and giving workers a living wage.”
Paul, who was inaugurated shortly after midnight on January 1, expressed solidarity, saying, “We are their partners in the fight to live with dignity in this city.”
Mamdani’s transition team co-chair, Lina Khan, and his choice for deputy mayor, Dean Freihan, also provided moral support to the striking baristas, according to the mayor-elect’s tweet.
In the northern part of New York State, more than a dozen baristas were observed protesting on Thursday, carrying signs that represented the union’s frustrations over what they describe as sluggish contract negotiations.
The New Scotland Avenue Starbucks was the first in the northern part of the Capitol region to strike. As reported by The Times Union, the strike has since spread to about 25 cities across the U.S., including Cleveland, Memphis, and Springfield, Missouri, with at least 1,000 workers participating.
The union began its strike on Starbucks’ Red Cup Day, an annual event where the company gives reusable cups to those who purchase holiday drinks.
The union commented to the press, stating, “Starbucks knows our position.” They reiterated their demands for better pay, updated working hours, and resolutions to ongoing legal challenges. “We hope to receive a new proposal that addresses these issues so we can finalize our contract,” they added. “Until then, we’ll be on the picket lines alongside our allies.”
Starbucks claimed that, despite the disruptions caused by the strike, they have managed to maintain a level of service. A company spokesperson expressed pride in providing quality jobs, saying, “When the union is ready to return to the bargaining table, we are ready to talk.”
Baristas have been organizing since the pandemic began, and in August 2021, they formed Starbucks Workers United in Buffalo, New York. The organization has since expanded to encompass over 640 locations, representing more than 14,000 workers in around 45 states.
While Starbucks has approximately 10,000 company-operated locations within the U.S., only about 5% are unionized. The company’s 7,000 licensed stores—like those in airports and grocery chains—are not part of the union effort.
Since 2021, there have been about 121 stores that voted against joining the union. The union reports that around 200 locations have shuttered for a total of more than 450 days throughout the past four years.
This year, an agreement was reached to have an arbitrator address the disputes arising from stalled contract negotiations between Starbucks and the union.
The union has accused management of terminating employees who were involved in organizing efforts and aggressively closing stores as part of an anti-union campaign.
Former CEO Howard Schultz previously stated that forming a union was unnecessary since Starbucks already provided adequate compensation and benefits to its baristas.
