Starbucks Baristas Set To Launch National Strike Authorization Vote On Friday – CoffeeTalk

Starbucks baristas plan to launch a national strike authorization vote on Friday, escalating a long-running labor conflict that has spilled beyond the coffee counters and into the boardroom. The workers are fighting to ratify their first union contract. The latest efforts come about a month after a wave of sweeping store closures that left thousands of baristas out of work. Amid Starbucks’ massive turnaround campaign, the company also faces new pressure from shareholders to address its increasingly contentious relationship with unionized employees.

The strike authorization vote, which would determine what could be the fourth barista work stoppage in two years, is set to run from October 24 through November 2. If authorized, the strike itself would be open-ended. Seventy practice pickets and rallies are planned across 60 cities beginning next week to encourage union members to vote in favor of the strike, a spokesperson for the union, said Starbucks Workers United.

Contract talks collapsed in December. Starbucks corporate and the unionized workers have each blamed each other for the breakdown. In addition to the authorization vote, the union took other action this week. On Tuesday, it filed a formal complaint with the International Olympic Committee opposing Starbucks’ role as the official coffee partner of the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics in Los Angeles. The union cited unfair labor practice charges.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, Starbucks had faced hundreds of unfair labor practice charges from the National Labor Relations Board as of early 2025, including accusations of retaliation and union-busting. The board is closed due to the government shutdown.

SBWU, which first unionized in 2021, says it represents more than 12,000 baristas across more than 600 locations. However, after Starbucks shuttered hundreds of US stores identified as low-performing in late September, the Starbucks spokesperson said the union represents closer to 550, or less than 5% of its company-owned stores. As of July, Starbucks reported it had 17,230 stores in the US and 18,842 stores in North America. Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said the closures, offset by planned openings, would reduce the total to about 18,300 stores in North America by the end of the fiscal year.

The authorization vote is coming a week after a group of shareholders published an open letter to the company’s board, urging Starbucks to resume contract talks. The letter, sent on October 16, underscores growing pressure on the company to mend relations with its workforce. Trillium Asset Management, Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE), Pensions Investment Research Consultants (PIRC) on behalf of investor clients, and New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.

Trillium, an activist investment firm holding over 119,000 shares of Starbucks stock, has repeatedly urged Starbucks to reach “fair and timely” collective bargaining agreements with its unionized workers since contract negotiations began in 2021. Jonas Kron, Trillium’s chief advocacy officer, said that Niccol, the CEO, seemed “committed to the unionization process” when he joined the company in September 2024.

A Starbucks spokesperson said the company responded to Trillium with appreciation for their support as a long-term shareholder and “clarification” about how contract talks ended in December. Michael Garland, assistant comptroller for corporate governance and responsible investment in New York City, said that the city’s comptroller office has been in discussions with Starbucks about its labor relations for years.

In 2023, Trillium, the New York Comptroller’s Office, and SHARE were among the proponents of a proposal for the company to conduct an independent, third-party assessment of its labor practices. It passed with the support of 52% of shareholders.

Read More @ Business Insider