Food - Drink
Starbucks Workers Across The US Go On 1-Day Strike
By HOPE NGO
November 17 is known as “Red Cup Day” at Starbucks, and it’s the day this coffee chain gives out free holiday cups to anyone who buys one of the 14 seasonal drinks, but this year is different. Starbucks workers from over 100 locations across the U.S. went on strike to protest the way Starbucks management has handled union contract negotiations.
A location in Overland Park, Kansas shared a letter to management stating the points of the protest, including how “Starbucks is prohibited from retaliating against or discriminating against any partner who participates in [the] strike.” The letter says that the workers are striking against the company’s refusal to bargain and those striking will return to work the next day.
Workers say Starbucks’ lawyers have been changing appointments at the last minute, walking out of sessions, and even punishing employees for their pro-union activities, which the company denies. In honor of Red Cup Day, striking workers are offering a different collectible red cup emblazoned with an illustration of a Grinch hand holding an ornament featuring the Starbucks Workers United logo.