Starbucks workers call a strike on red cup day: when is it and which stores are affected?

Starbucks Workers United called for a Red Cup Rebellion on Thursday 16 November. Citing staffing and scheduling issues the union said in a statement on Monday that for a second year in a row that thousands of union baristas will go on strike during the coffee powerhouse’s biggest sales event of the season.

Red Cup Day, when Starbucks gives away free reusable holiday-themed cups with coffee purchases, is one of the brand’s key promotional events “and also one of the most infamously hard, understaffed days for the baristas that work them,” Workers United said in its announcement for the strike.

In a statement to CBS MoneyWatch, Neha Cremin, a Starbucks employee in Oklahoma City said: “Starbucks is creating unnecessarily stressful working conditions by scheduling promotion after promotion without increasing staffing. Starbucks has made it clear that they won’t listen to workers, so we’re advocating for ourselves by going on strike.”

Starbucks Workers United invites all to join them in the Red Cup Rebellion 2023

The union has invited all baristas and shift supervisors “to walk out in solidarity alongside thousands of Starbucks Workers United baristas.” They are also asking allies and customers to join the workers “rising up for a fairer workplace” by leading and participating in actions at Starbucks stores in their communities.

According to the Starbucks Workers United website, the union represents over 9,000 Starbucks employees at more than 360 unionized stores.

Actions to protest unfair labor practices are being organized at nearly 200 locations across the nation on Thursday 16 November. That is almost double the 112 unionized Starbucks stores that launched strikes last year against the company’s failure to adequately staff stores on busy promotional days.

Talks between Starbucks and union stalled

Last year’s strike was meant to call attention to alleged union busting tactics by Starbucks and the company’s refusal to fairly negotiate contracts. Talks between the two sides quickly broke down mainly over disagreements as to whether union members could join the negotiations via Zoom.

Starbucks representatives according to reports walked out of meetings shortly after they began saying that federal regulations required that negotiations had to be only face-to-face. However, in acknowledging the Red Cup Day strike this year, the coffee company says that it is the union that is failing to help talks move forward. “Workers United hasn’t agreed to meet to progress contract bargaining in more than four months and has yet to deliver on the campaign promises they’ve made,” said Starbucks in a statement to Reuters.