Striking Starbucks baristas spend Christmas on picket line: "We're not going anywhere!"
Unionized Starbucks baristas spent the Christmas holiday on the picket lines as they continue their weeks-long strike for a fair contract.
"Thousands of baristas are still on ULP strike across the country, and we're not going anywhere!" the Starbucks Workers United union posted on X on Christmas Eve.
"Stand with striking baristas and don't buy Starbucks ANYWHERE. Get that peppermint mocha (and those last minute gift cards) at your local coffee shop instead!"
On Christmas Day, the union shared a video of striking workers singing a special holiday carol to the tune of Jingle Bells.
"Jingle bells, Niccol smells, need a living wage. Till we get that contract signed, there's no coffee today, hey!" the workers chanted.
The tune made reference to Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol, who received around $96 million in total compensation in 2024 after just four months on the job.
Meanwhile, workers continue to struggle for a fair contract. Their core demands include better hours to improve staffing in stores, higher take-home pay, and the resolution of charges stemming from union busting.
More Starbucks stores look to join union movement
Starbucks Workers United members kicked off their open-ended Red Cup Rebellion strike on November 13.
Union members overwhelmingly voted to authorize the strike to start on Red Cup Day – the coffee chain's biggest sales promotion of the year in which it hands out reusable cups with certain purchases.
Starbucks' previous CEO Laxman Narasimhan vowed to bargain with unionized workers and reach contract agreements by the end of last year, but negotiations have stalled under Niccol, who took over in September 2024.
The company announced in September of this year that it would close hundreds of stores and lay off nearly 1,000 employees as part of a $1-billion restructuring plan.
The strike has not slowed the growth of the union movement. On December 23, Starbucks Workers United announced that 19 more stores representing over 330 workers had filed for union elections.
"I'm inspired by the power that union baristas are building across the nation," said Dream Cooper, one of the baristas hoping to unionize. "We want to build a better future at Starbucks – which is exactly why we’re so committed to this fight for the treatment we know we deserve."
This holiday season, the union is asking supporters not to make any Starbucks purchases – including gift cards – in solidarity with their ongoing strike.
Cover photo: Screenshot/X/@SBWorkersUnited