Starbucks Workers United In Contract Struggle
The Coffee Giant has been found guilty of over 400 labor law violations by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), including illegal firings of pro-union employees and threatening store closures.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Baristas at the University Circle Starbucks began their rally for a fair working contract on Thursday, joining more than 65 locations nationwide. Strikes have been ongoing since Nov. 13.
According to Starbucks Workers United’s strike webpage, the company has walked away from the bargaining table after six months without offering new proposals to address workers’ demands for better staffing, higher pay and resolution of hundreds of unfair labor practices.
The union alleges Starbucks is stonewalling contract negotiations. In September 2024, unionized baristas presented a set of economic proposals to increase wages and benefits. In December 2024, Starbucks rejected all proposals and offered what the union describes as “an unserious economic package that did not raise wages in the first year of the contract, nor did it address the core issues of hours and staffing.” Talks subsequently broke down.
SWU states that:
This prompted Workers United to file a national unfair labor (ULP) practice charge in December 2024 alleging Starbucks’ had failed to bargain in good faith and was undermining the representative status of the union. This ULP was amended and expanded in April 2025.
The company insists the union is to blame for the breakdown in negotiations. Jaci Anderson, a Starbucks spokesperson, told me via email: “in April 2025, despite nearly 200 hours of negotiations and more than 30 tentative agreements reached, Workers United left bargaining and took an incomplete framework to their delegates for a vote.” She referred us to a statement issued in April 2025.
In that April 2025 statement, Starbucks said: “Workers United made the decision to present an incomplete framework for single-store contracts to their delegates to vote on, effectively undermining our collective progress.” The statement does not address the union’s claims and instead highlights the value of the company’s comprehensive employee benefit package. Not all benefits are available to workers at unionized stores.
Scenes and speeches from the University Circle location. Starbucks workers from around the greater Cleveland area turned out in support, while local unions and advocacy groups demonstrated solidarity with striking workers.
Striking workers at the University Circle location were joined by supporters from local unions; organizations such as Cleveland DSA and PSL; and Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne. Local residents and bus drivers passing by the picket line sounded their horns in support.
“Starbucks workers have declared a national ULP strike,” said an elected store bargaining delegate who spoke to us at the scene, “We’re going out indefinitely to secure the last 10% of our contract covering health care and wages.”
Organizers said Starbucks Workers United is mounting the largest national strike since the UPS Teamsters in 1997. Starbucks said it experienced minimal disruption, noting that its 2025 holiday launch was its biggest North American sales day ever. The company said Reusable Red Cup Day 2025 was the strongest in its history.
“We’re trying to get dignity in the workplace,” the store bargaining delegate said, “Our CEO makes over $100 million for a third of a year’s work, and they clearly have the money to meet our demands. So it’s time for us to sit back down at the table and hash this out.”
When asked about the more than 400 labor law violations the NLRB has found Starbucks guilty of, the bargaining delegate said: “It’s no surprise. I’ve seen this firsthand with my coworkers over the years. It’s ongoing, so it’s time for [Starbucks] to understand that workers make this store run, and we deserve, again, basic fair dignity and a contract.”
Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson provided the following statement:
“As we’ve said, 99% of our 17,000 U.S. locations remain open and welcoming customers —including many the union publicly stated would strike but never closed or have since reopened. Regardless of the union’s plans, we do not anticipate any meaningful disruption. When the union is ready to return to the bargaining table, we’re ready to talk. The facts are clear, Starbucks offers the best job in retail, with pay and benefits averaging $30 per hour for hourly partners. People choose to work here and stay here—our turnover is less than half the industry average, and we receive more than a million job applications every year.”
Starbucks claims it offers “the best job in retail, with pay and benefits averaging $30 per hour for hourly partners.” I conducted a simple comparison study in which Starbucks hiring ads in the Greater Cleveland area were compiled and averaged based on the posted hourly and annual wages.
The average take-home pay totaled about $31,683 annually, or roughly $15 an hour at 40 hours per week. According to a 2023 press release, “The comprehensive benefits package provided by Starbucks goes well beyond the industry average and is set apart by its accessibility to a broad subset of its retail hourly workforce — including anyone working an average of 20 or more hours a week.”
While Starbucks touts its benefits packages — including comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, 18 weeks of paid parental leave, and 100% upfront tuition coverage — workers insist the benefits are not as accessible as the company claims. Starbucks also states that not all benefits are available at unionized stores.
I reached out to Starbucks for clarification on benefits and wages, but no response was received in time for publication.
Starbucks also did not comment on the more than 400 labor law violation findings issued by the National Labor Relations Board, nor did it provide comment on the situation in Cleveland.
Ultimately, discussions about the origins of the strike have led to finger-pointing from both sides. However, when it comes to determining the fairness of the workplace, that decision rests with the workers — 10,000 of whom, backed by their union and findings from multiple labor relations organizations, have concluded that conditions warrant a strike.