On August 25, Starbucks Workers United called a nationwide boycott of Starbucks — the latest escalation in a first-contract fight now nearly five years old. The union is asking individuals, organizations, and unions to stop patronizing the chain and avoid its catering and sponsorships until a contract is signed. The AFL-CIO has already signed on, and the 25,000-strong Chicago Teachers Union voted to boycott on August 26.
The context, in brief:
- 12,000 unionized baristas; last November’s strike was the largest and longest yet — 3,000 workers in 100 cities, some out into January, demanding Starbucks resolve its 550 unfair labor practice charges
- More walkouts hit August 15–16 in California, Missouri, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania during Unicorn Frappuccino weekend, when mandatory hours exhausted workers
- Nashville baristas struck over a new blending powder making workers sick; after an occupational-health expert flagged its ingredients, Starbucks withdrew the mix in mid-August
- Organizing began in Buffalo in late 2021; 700+ stores have voted union — still under 5% of the company’s 16,000 US outlets — and the company has piled up the largest ULP record in US history
- Key contract demands: three people on the floor at all times, hours for current baristas instead of new hires, $17 starting pay with 4% annual raises (starting wages are below $16 in 43 states), and real protection against customer assaults
The play is classic “no contract, no coffee”: if the company won’t bargain in good faith, workers will make patronizing it politically costly. The union is asking every union and organization to pass a Starbucks-free resolution — turning a five-year shop-floor fight into a test of labor solidarity nationwide.