New York, New York - New York City's first-place mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani stood alongside picketing Starbucks baristas on Wednesday to demand the company negotiate fair union contracts.

Mamdani joined the picket outside a Starbucks café in Lower Manhattan to show his support for employees demanding better pay, job protections, and working conditions.

"We are talking about a CEO of a company [Brian Niccol] who made $96 million just last year – $96 million which is 6,666 times the median Starbucks worker salary," the state assemblymember said.

"What these workers are asking for is the bare minimum," he continued. "They are asking a salary that they can actually live off of. They are asking for hours they can actually build their life around. They are asking for the violations of labor law to finally be resolved."

"They deserve a city that has their back, and I am here to say that that is what New York City will be."

The Manhattan action took place after Starbucks announced this week that it would close hundreds of stores and lay off nearly 1,000 employees as part of a $1-billion restructuring plan. This comes as contract talks with unionized workers remain stalled.

Mamdani said he would stand with workers in the event of a labor strike.

"My message to Starbucks management is that I stand here today to practice with these workers, and if you force these workers to go on strike, then I will be there with them on that strike as well," the mayoral hopeful pledged.

"Starbucks workers shouldn't be living paycheck to paycheck when CEO Brian Niccol has the highest CEO-to-worker pay gap in the country. It would take only A SINGLE DAY'S sales to finalize fair union contracts. JUST ONE DAY. Thank you for rallying with us today, Zohran Mamdani!" Starbucks Workers United posted on X.