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Students at the University of Houston, Texas, are reviving a campaign calling for a boycott of Starbucks in solidarity with the coffee giant’s unionized workers, who have voted to go on strike next week unless a contract agreement is finalized. Newsweek contacted Starbucks and Starbucks Workers United for comment by email on Friday. Why It Matters Starbucks baristas have long been complaining of issues including short staffing, unpredictable schedules, low pay, and unfair labor practices. In December last year, Starbucks Workers United—which has successfully organized employees at more than 500 of the company’s stores across the country since 2021—launched a five-day strike to demand progress in the stalled negotiation with the Seattle-based coffee chain. The action involved hundreds of locations across the country, including in major cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle. While there have been a series of tentative agreements between the union and Starbucks since then, Starbucks Workers United is now asking the company to go back to the table to finalize labor contracts with over 12,000 unionized baristas asking for better hours, higher take-home pays, and a resolution for hundreds of outstanding unfair labor practices. What To Know On November 5, an overwhelming majority of 92 percent unionized Starbucks baristas voted to authorize a strike ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday season, as they said Starbucks has refused to put forth new proposals to meet their demands. The union represents over 9,000 workers out of Starbucks’s more than 200,000 baristas. At the University of Houston (UH), Students Against Starbucks campaigners, part of UH’s Young Democratic Socialists Association, circulated a petition outside a campus building this week calling for a boycott of Starbucks products, as reported by the Houston Chronicle. About 40 students signed on. The initiative was one of many going on in university campuses across the country, where students want to show solidarity to unionized workers. Starbucks has maintained that unionized workers are a small minority of its staff and that they already offer their “green apron partners” what they call “the best overall wage and benefits package in retail, worth on average $30 per hour for hourly partners.” What People Are Saying Michelle Eisen, Starbucks Workers United spokesperson and 15-year veteran barista, said in a press release shared by the union: “Union baristas mean business and are ready to do whatever it takes to win a fair contract and end Starbucks’ unfair labor practices. “We want Starbucks to succeed, but turning the company around and bringing customers back begins with listening to and supporting the baristas who are responsible for the Starbucks experience. If Starbucks keeps stonewalling, it should expect to see its business grind to a halt. The ball is in Starbucks’ court.” Jasmine Leli, a three-year Starbucks barista and strike captain from Buffalo, NY, said in a press release shared by the union: “Our fight is about actually making Starbucks jobs the best jobs in retail. Right now, it’s only the best job in retail for Brian Niccol [Starbuck’s CEO and chairman]." “Things have only gone backwards at Starbucks under Niccol’s leadership, but a fair union contract and the resolution of hundreds of unfair labor practice charges are essential to the company’s turnaround. Too many of us rely on SNAP or Medicaid just to get by, and most baristas still don’t earn a livable wage. In a majority of states, starting pay is just $15.25 an hour—and even then, we’re not getting the 20 hours a week we need to qualify for benefits.” Starbucks spokeswoman Jaci Anderson said in a statement on Wednesday: “Any agreement needs to reflect the reality that Starbucks already offers the best job in retail, including more than $30 an hour on average in pay and benefits for hourly partners.” Cody Szell, a senior studying political science and an intern for the Students Against Starbucks campaign, told the Houston Chronicle: “The goal is to show the solidarity of students with Starbucks workers, regardless of if they’re striking tomorrow, they’re striking a couple of months from now, if they’re not even striking at all.” What Happens Next The union said that the strike will go ahead if a new contract is not finalized by November 13, Starbuck’s Red Cup Day, when customers can order select holiday beverages and be rewarded with a free limited-edition red holiday cup. For Starbucks, this is typically one of the busiest days of the year. The union did not specify how many stores around the country would be impacted by the strike, though it mentioned that at least 25 cities will be affected.
