Starbucks workers strike on Red Cup Day

Starbucks customers craving their chestnut praline lattes and peppermint mochas were met by picket lines Thursday.

Starbucks Workers United members across the country are striking outside more than 100 stores. The strike was taking place on Red Cup Day — the coffee chain’s flagship event signaling the start of the holiday season. Workers say it’s the group’s largest single-day strike to date. They’re calling it the “Red Cup Rebellion.”

Marching in a circle outside Philadelphia’s 22nd and South Street Starbucks location, employees chanted, “When I say worker, you say power,” and “What’s disgusting? Union busting.” By shortly after 9 a.m. the Starbucks at 20th and Market Streets was shut down, with employees standing outside with signs that said things like “Partners over profit.”

According to Philly Workers United — which represents local Starbucks employees — local strikes were expected across four shops from 7 to 11 a.m. and again from 2 to 4 p.m. with the warning that customers will face “venti” (Starbucks’ phrase for large) wait times because of “short staffing.” The groups are asking for a contract that includes properly staffed locations and fair wages.

Tzvi Ortiz is a barista at the Starbucks on 34th and Walnut. She said her store has faced issues including old machines that needed replacements and short staffing.

“A lot of times, we get far too many orders to fulfill,” Ortiz said. “Wait times can be as long as 40 minutes because we have no limits. The lines would be out the door.”

Unionized stores make up less than 3% of the 9,000 company-operated Starbucks stores. Starbucks workers began unionizing earlier this year and many are in the beginning stages of collective bargaining for the first time. This time last year, no company-owned store was unionized — now, more than 300 stores in nearly three dozen states have had union elections.

But the caffeine buzz wore off quickly.

Starbucks Workers United says the coffee chain has illegally fired over 150 employees in retaliation for supporting the union. The company has repeatedly denied those claims.

Silvia Baldwin, another barista at the 34th and Walnut Starbucks, said the company has been “shady” when it comes to coming to the table to bargain with workers.

“They pulled some stuff with scheduling, where we couldn’t make it based on our store’s policies about taking time off,” she said. “We’re putting in an immense amount of work. We’re baristas trying to bargain with an army of attorneys. ... We’re learning the contract and getting prepared and they won’t even hear us out. That’s why we’re putting national pressure on them.”

The National Labor Relations Board has stepped in to stop Starbucks’ alleged union-busting four times, asking federal courts in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Phoenix; and Memphis, Tenn.; for Starbucks to rehire pro-union employees. The NLRB has asked for a “nationwide cease and desist order,” stopping Starbucks from firing employees for union activity, VICE reported.

This isn’t the first strike by Starbucks employees. What’s different, organizers say, is the day they’re doing it.

Red Cup Day is Starbucks’ signal to customers that the holiday season has arrived. It’s the launch of the stores’ use of red paper cups instead of the typical white ones. On Thursday, the consumer holiday featured giveaways in which customers would receive a free, reusable commemorative red cup if they ordered a seasonal beverage.

A statement from Starbucks acknowledged Thursday’s protests and said that the company respects employees’ rights to protest and that it will continue to bargain in good faith.

In Philadelphia, there has been a recent string of coffee shops unionizing.

Local 80 — a branch of Philly Workers United — is focused on the food and beverage service industry. The local group’s goal is to aid cafe unionizing efforts. In September, Elixr Coffee employees announced their intent to unionize. Management agreed to voluntarily recognize the union. Last month, ReAnimator Coffee also announced it would voluntarily recognize its staff’s union.

“We deeply appreciate and share the interest of our staff in building a healthy and equitable work environment,” ReAnimator management posted on Instagram. “[We] look forward to engaging in good faith negotiations to ensure ReAnimator continues to be a great place for workers and community members alike.”

Starbucks workers like Baldwin and Ortiz say that they’re heartened by the local support their strike received Thursday and that they hope it will inspire nonunionized locations to organize.

“We’re at this turning point across the country,” Baldwin said. “We’re really hoping this sets a precedent.”