John,
Today is “Red Cup Day,” one of Starbucks’ biggest sales days of the year. It is also the first day of a massive strike by Starbucks Workers United―the largest yet in the workers’ union drive.
After years of promises about being a “progressive” employer, Starbucks has become a symbol of corporate greed. Since December 2021, more than 12,000 Starbucks workers at over 600 stores have voted to unionize, but not a single contract has been finalized. Instead of negotiating, Starbucks has closed more than 400 stores as part of a “restructuring,” including at least 59 unionized locations.[1]
Starbucks’ new CEO, Brian Niccol, made $96 million in his first year while firing organizers, short-staffing stores, and replacing baristas with automation.[2] The same company that markets community and connection now refuses to even meet its workers at the bargaining table.
Workers are not backing down, and neither should we. They have chosen to strike on Starbucks’ most profitable day to make sure their voices cannot be ignored. Our job is to stand with them.
Tell Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol that you will not cross the picket line. Delete the Starbucks app, skip the lattes, and support the workers who make this company possible.
Americans for Tax Fairness detailed Starbucks’ union busting in our report, Billion-Dollar Union Busters: How Starbucks & Its Rich CEO Are Stifling Worker Organizing. They’re even able to write-off their union-busing expenses on their taxes! That’s why our reporting and activism are so critical―we’re holding the rich and corporations accountable, demanding they pay their fair share in taxes while investing in workers’ wages.
This strike is about dignity, fairness, and the right to organize without fear. Workers have faced intimidation, cuts to hours, retaliation, and even store closures simply for standing up for each other.
Starbucks executives call it “operational restructuring.” Workers call it what it is: union busting. They are fighting for predictable schedules, safe working conditions, fair pay, and respect on the job. These are not radical demands. They are basic rights.
When Starbucks refuses to negotiate, it sends a message that no amount of corporate branding can disguise: profits matter more than people. But when customers stand with workers, that balance shifts. Public pressure works, and it is the only language billion-dollar corporations understand.
The Red Cup Day strike is the latest chapter in a growing national movement to empower workers, from baristas to warehouse staff to nurses. Every show of solidarity counts. Let’s make sure Starbucks hears us loud and clear.
Tell CEO Brian Niccol that you are deleting the app, skipping the coffee, and standing with workers, not corporate greed.
Let’s stand with the workers who make Starbucks run.
David Kass
Executive Director
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund
[1] Thousands of Starbucks workers could be set to go on strike. Here's what to know
[2] Starbucks CEO awarded $96 million in first few months on job
