Striking Starbucks union baristas in Seattle walk out on Red Cup Day in push for contract talks

Record ID: 2273661

  • Title: Striking Starbucks union baristas in Seattle walk out on Red Cup Day in push for contract talks
  • Date: 14th November 2025
  • Summary: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 13, 2025)(REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE GATHERED OUTSIDE OF CLOSED STARBUCKS FLAGSHIP STORE ON RED CUP DAY (SOUNDBITE)(English) SEATTLE MAYOR-ELECT KATIE WILSON SPEAKING TO CROWD, SAYING:  "I could not be prouder to stand here with Starbucks baristas in solidarity today. I am asking everyone who believes in fairness, dignity and wo
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: BRIAN NICCOL RED CUP DAY RED CUP REBELLION STARBUCKS STARBUCKS STRIKE STARBUCKS UNION
  • Location: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES
  • City: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES
  • Country: US
  • Topics: Company News Markets,Economic Events,North America
  • Reuters ID: LVA001189413112025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: More than 1,000 Starbucks unionized baristas in over 40 U.S. cities launched an indefinite strike on Thursday (November 13), intensifying their push for a collective bargaining agreement over increasing pay and staffing levels at the coffee giant.
    The walkout will begin with 65 stores, the Starbucks Workers United said, coinciding with the Red Cup Day, a busy sales event that typically drives higher customer visits at more than 17,000 coffeehouses in the United States.
    So far, there has been minimal impact with less than 1% of stores seeing any disruption, a Starbucks spokesperson told Reuters.
    The union, which represents employees at about 550 U.S. stores nationwide, rallied in more than a dozen cities including Seattle, where the company is headquartered, and warned the strike could become the largest and longest in the history of Starbucks.
    "The fact that it has been, since my store first unionized almost four years, and that the company still is unwilling to resolve everything and is still in a sense punishing us for trying to unionize, is disheartening and frustrating," said Brenna Nendel, a Starbucks Union member and steward for her store in Seattle. "It goes against the image that Starbucks has put forth for decades."
    Among those who turned out to support the striking Starbucks Union employees, was Seattle Mayor-elect Katie Wilson, who found out earlier this week she had won the mayor's race against incumbent Bruce Harrell by less than one percentage point--one of the smallest margins in the city's history. 
    The strike comes as CEO Brian Niccol shuts hundreds of underperforming stores, including the unionized flagship Starbucks Roastery Reserve in Seattle, and focuses on improving service times and in-store experience to revive demand. 
    Niccol had said in September last year when he took over as CEO that he was committed to dialogue. Talks between the union and the company ended in December after stretching for about eight months last year following which the workers went on strike during the key holiday period.
    Starbucks has said it pays an average wage of $19 an hour and offers employees who work at least 20 hours a week benefits including healthcare, parental leave and tuition for online classes at Arizona State University.
    The union has said starting wages are $15.25 per hour in about 33 states and the average barista gets less than 20 hours per week.
    (Production: Matt M. McKnight) 
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