Starbucks Workers Go On Nation Wide Strike In Red Cup Rebellion

Arlington, Virginia—The Starbucks at Court House on Clarendon Boulevard was one of 116 coffee shops nationwide that was forced to close for a day because its Baristas went on strike on Thursday morning. Workers refused to open their store and report to work over poor working conditions, poor benefits and low pay, unpredictable hours, and forced understaffing at locations nationwide which they say places workers and their families under undue economic strain. The “Red Cup Rebellion” strike was a also a response to Starbucks management’s refusal to negotiate with its union in good faith.

The strike took place on the day Starbucks rolled out its ‘Red Cup Day’ special offer in efforts to hit back at management for failing to negotiate in good faith with Starbucks Workers United (SB Workers United Union). SB Workers United Union is an employee-led union seeking accountability from management and a share in the corporate decisions that affects workers’ conditions.

The strike was also timed to draw attention from retail customers for their role in the plight of Starbucks workers and to help them understand what the workers are experiencing. While DCMediaGroup reported from the Court House location several dozen customers attempted to enter the store but doors were locked. Some of the customers were surprised at that workers were striking and wanted to know why workers were on strike. They were given flyers to help them understand why workers walked out for a day.

Sam Dukore, one of the workers who took part in the strike said that his store at Court House voted 8-2 on November 8 to join Starbucks Workers United. According to Dukore, the Court House Starbucks opened for business an hour late and had closed by 11 am, 7 hours earlier than its regular closing time. Managers from other locations worked in the store for the brief period it was open.

Dukore said that attorneys for Starbucks were not giving workers reasonable consideration because they would show up to negotiations and within a minute and a half, walk out of negotiations. He also related that Starbucks corporation had over 700 unfair labor practice claims filed against it over the past year by workers who were organizing.

George Atallah, Assistant Director for External Affairs, and a spokesman for the National Football League Players Association (NFL PA), a union that represents NFL players, was also present for part of the Starbucks strike at the Court House location. He expressed support for the barista’s strike on behalf of the NFL Players Association. “The NFL Players Association has a long history being a part of the labor movement across the U.S. and is affiliated with the AFL/CIO. All workers have common issues and common goals. One of those goals we are trying to attain not just for players but for Starbucks workers also, is the support of professional athletes to have basic fairness.”

Atallah pointed out that Starbucks makes billions off the labor of its workers but was not sure the managers of Starbucks were negotiating in good faith with SB Workers United. “The two issues we have found in our experience with management is money and control. There is plenty of money to go around,” he said. “It can be terrifying to cede control to workers because [management] can’t do what they want.”

Dukore was encouraged by the support from the NFL PA and felt that their support would gain much attention to the challenges working people face in retail and the beverage food industry. “I think its amazing that the NFL PA is supporting us because it means we’re starting to get the notice we deserve,” said Dukore.

Starbucks reported raising its starting pay for baristas to $17/hour this past Summer but the living wage in the Washington DC, North Virginia, and Southern Maryland area is double that. Starbucks also reported an historic fourth quarter consolidated net revenue result of $8.1 billion in 2021, an increase of 31% from the year prior.