Starbucks Baristas On Strike Urge Customers To Delete Starbucks App In Solidarity – CoffeeTalk

Striking baristas from Starbucks are urging customers to delete the Starbucks mobile app in support of their demands for a first union contract. The movement, led by Starbucks Workers United, has been ongoing for nearly three months, with baristas expressing their commitment to fighting for fair wages, stable hours, and an end to union busting. Locally, barista KC Ihekwaba emphasized the union’s unchanging demands during a solidarity call, maintaining a strong spirit for negotiation.

Since initiating an unfair labor practice strike on November 13 of last year, Starbucks Workers United has successfully facilitated union elections in over 600 Starbucks locations, representing approximately 11,000 baristas across 576 stores in the United States. Recently, the union adjusted their strike approach, allowing most workers to return to their positions while maintaining a rotating strike of about 1,000 baristas across nearly 50 locations. Christi Gomoljak, a barista from Downtown Disney in Anaheim, who participated in the recent strike, articulated the call for action where customers are encouraged to delete the app until the baristas secure a fair contract.

Gomoljak indicated that restoring the app would be acceptable once fair terms are achieved, highlighting the improved experience of consuming coffee from a shop with a fair contract. The president of the AFL-CIO, Liz Shuler, supported the baristas, framing the struggle as part of a larger issue concerning dignity for working people.

Starbucks, however, has minimized the perceived impact of the strike, asserting that the disruptions affected less than 1% of their stores, and the majority operated as usual. Although they did not comment on the app deletion campaign, they noted that the union’s call for returning to work at most strike-affected locations is a sign of progress, indicating a readiness to reengage in negotiations. A spokesperson for the company expressed confidence in reaching a fair contract, citing over 30 tentative agreements in place and highlighting competitive pay and benefits for their employees.

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