The union representing thousands of Starbucks workers has called on consumers to boycott the coffee chain, the latest escalation in a yearslong battle for a first contract.
Starbucks Workers United said Tuesday it was “calling on everyone who supports working people” not to patronize the company’s corporate-owned stores until it reaches a collective bargaining agreement. The campaign, which is part of the union Workers United, insisted it was left with “no other choice.”
“At a time when working-class people across the country are struggling in a challenging economy, it is no longer possible to be both a Starbucks customer and in support of workers,” the group said in a statement. “Choosing to spend money at Starbucks is choosing a law breaking corporation over the baristas who make your coffee every day exactly as you ask for it.”
Workers at more than 700 of Starbucks’ 11,000 North American stores have voted to unionize since late 2021, though none of them are covered by a contract yet. Workers have accused the company of intentionally stonewalling and dragging out the bargaining process in order to undermine the organizing effort ― allegations Starbucks has denied.
“It is no longer possible to be both a Starbucks customer and in support of workers.”
– Starbucks Workers United
A Starbucks spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday that the company is “committed to engaging in productive bargaining.”
“Starbucks has competitive pay, industry-leading benefits, and meaningful opportunities to grow a career,” the spokesperson said. “People love working at Starbucks which is why we have the lowest turnover in the industry and why more than 1 million people every year apply to wear the green apron.”
Starbucks Workers United has asked supporters not to spend money at Starbucks during previous strikes, and it has also asked them to delete the company’s app from their phones. But until Tuesday, it had not called for an open-ended boycott not tied to work stoppages.
The AFL-CIO, a federation of 65 unions, endorsed the move on Tuesday, saying it was “proud” to do so.
“Workers are fed up with unchecked corporate greed, and we’re standing with them in their fight for a fair contract,” the federation said on X.
Lindsey Wasson via Associated Press
The union only represents around 5% of Starbucks’ workforce, according to the company, but the boycott call applies to union- and non-union stores alike. The company has insisted in the past that the union’s actions have put little dent in its sales.
The union campaign that began in Western New York nearly five years ago has been one of the most closely watched organizing efforts in decades. A cascade of election victories at the previously non-union chain helped kindle hopes of a renewal for organized labor, but the rocky path to a first contract has underscored how difficult it will be to rebuild union membership, which has fallen to just 5.9% in the U.S. private sector.
Starbucks and the union have appeared to make headway on negotiations at times but have never reached agreements on major issues like pay and healthcare. The company said years ago that it hoped to settle on a contract by the end of 2024. That deadline came and went under a new chief executive, Brian Niccol, who’s implemented a “Back to Starbucks” turnaround plan.
The union waged a series of strikes at organized stores late last year to pressure the company, and it also filed a slew of new unfair labor practice charges accusing Starbucks of illegally threatening and retaliating against union activists. (Administrative law judges have ruled in dozens of cases that Starbucks broke the law as it tried to resist the campaign.)
The union said Tuesday that it’s fighting for “a minimum $17 per hour wage, enough hours to live on, better staffing in our stores, and basic workplace protections.”
“Every year, our living costs rise but our wages don’t keep up,” the union said.