‘Red Cup Rebellion’: Thousands of Starbucks Workers Join Historic Strike

Starbucks workers go on strike due to what they claim to be unsanitary working conditions
Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images
Amy Furr

Thousands of Starbucks employees are going on strike Thursday during a “Red Cup Rebellion” as union leaders make demands of the company.

According to Axios, the event includes workers from 200 unionized stores located across the country.

“THOUSANDS of Starbucks workers are on strike today. On top of our biggest strike yet,~500 actions at Starbucks stores are happening across the country in solidarity!” Starbucks Workers United said in a social media post Thursday:

The action is happening on the company’s “Red Cup Day,” which has been one of its biggest sales days. According to its website, Starbucks is offering customers free reusable holiday cups on Thursday when they purchase certain beverages.

Meanwhile, the union said it is demanding the company come to the table and bargain over staffing, scheduling, and other issues, per Axios:

Starbucks said in a statement to Axios that it expects “customers interested in our reusable red cup will be able to participate in the giveaway, as planned” and that the union’s day of action is at a “small subset of our U.S. stores.”

…

“Despite escalating rhetoric and recurring rallies demanding a contract, Workers United hasn’t agreed to meet to progress contract bargaining in more than four months,” the company said in its statement.

WFAA reported Thursday one of the union’s demands for workers was better pay. A local Starbucks union representative told the Texas outlet that although the local unions are small, they have the ability to bring about change.

“We have, frankly, just had enough. We know what our worth is. We know what our rights are. We’re not afraid to show them,” the woman said:

“We know that this is one of the most — biggest days, like the biggest profit-heavy days for Starbucks, and we really want to show them, like, we can make an impact,” she added.

In a social media post Thursday, the federation of unions AFL-CIO urged people to find a strike near them.

“Jingle bells, give ‘em hell, today is Red Cup Day! Oh what fun it is to fight to keep union busters at bay, hey!” the group said:

In June, workers at about 150 Starbucks locations reportedly gathered to strike amid an argument over LGBTQQIAAP2s+ Pride decorations, per Breitbart News.

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