Posts tagged barista
After months-long barista strike, Starbucks to resume bargaining with SBWU union
March 26, 2026 // Over 14,000 unionized baristas are demanding higher pay, better staffing and for Starbucks to resolve over 600 unfair labor practice charges that SBWU has filed with the National Labor Relations Board. The union has dialed back its pay increase demands since going on strike over four months ago. It’s now asking for a minimum hourly wage of $17 per hour, down from $20 per hour in November, and 4% annual pay raises, instead of 5%.
Newsmakers 2025: Barista who helped unionize Verve says the experience changed how she saw herself
January 5, 2026 // In the weeks that followed, Pavy’s coworkers elected her to represent employees of the downtown Santa Cruz coffeehouse in negotiations with Barr and O’Donovan, alongside representatives from the Fair Avenue and San Francisco cafés, and UFCW. So far, the bargaining committee has met once to discuss non-economic parts of the contract, like workplace rules and job security. The process is expected to last through 2026.
US judges leery of NLRB ruling that ex-Starbucks CEO illegally threatened union supporter
December 4, 2025 // “It does seem to me that this is sort of a gotcha by the board,” said Southwick, an appointee of Republican former President George W. Bush. “The board is looking very narrowly on what the context here was.”
Pro-union flyers appear in Starbucks headquarters as some corporate staff quietly support barista strikes
November 18, 2025 // Employees say the flyers have appeared in hallways and bathroom stalls across the Seattle building this week, while some corporate workers whisper support for the baristas on strike. The flyers first appeared just days before baristas launched a nationwide strike at dozens of stores in 40 cities to pressure the company to finalize their first union contract. The strike, which is the unionized baristas' fourth work stoppage in two years — and their third since Brian Niccol became CEO in September 2024 — began on Red Cup Day, an annual promotional event that offers customers a free reusable cup with their purchase and generates significant sales for the company.
Starbucks unionized workers say they’ll strike on Nov. 13 if coffee giant doesn’t finalize contract
November 6, 2025 // If the strike happens this month, it would mark the union's third national work stoppage in the past year. Workers United last protested in May over Starbucks' new dress code, and thousands also walked off the job in December 2024.
Cheesman Park cafe closes abruptly amid staff unionization effort
October 14, 2025 // The Secret Garden Bar & Cafe closed abruptly during service on Friday morning after workers began petitioning passers-by about their efforts to form a union. City Street Investors opened Secret Garden a year ago, next to its company headquarters at the Tears–McFarlane House, 1290 Williams St., a historic mansion adjacent to Cheesman Park in Denver. But barista Tess Devillier told the Denver Post that the company grew frustrated by employee attempts to unionize earlier this year.
NY Starbucks Barista Asks Federal Labor Board to Restore Employees’ Right to Vote Out SBWU Union Officials
September 14, 2025 // SBWU union bosses prevented worker-requested union removal vote by filing unverified charges, never demonstrated link to worker effort. Starbucks barista Nadia Kuban is asking the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in Washington, DC, to overturn federal policies that are preventing her colleagues from having a vote to remove unwanted Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) union officials from their workplace. Kuban is receiving free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.
Is “Salting” the Future of Organized Labor?
August 3, 2025 // MA: Another point to just make is that as a salt, you have to earn your keep. Yes, you’re in closer proximity to people, and you can talk to them and build relationships. But part of that is also like doing the work, being taken seriously as a fellow worker, who knows what the hell you’re talking about. JB: Exactly. You have to be a good coworker. I worked at Starbucks for eight months before ever saying the word union. And my role wasn’t to be the vanguard of the revolution. It was to find people, like Michelle Eisen, whose family were coal miners in Harlan County, Kentucky, who had a deep sense of social justice and a deep commitment to unions, and who quickly saw that her legacy at Starbucks could be helping build a union for everybody who would come after her.
Podcast Newt Gingrich, Vinnie Vernuccio; Episode 837: Protecting the American Worker
May 5, 2025 // Newt’s guest is Vincent Vernuccio, president and co-founder of the Institute for the American Worker. They discuss the significant labor policy developments and legislative efforts aimed at increasing transparency and accountability in both public and private sectors. Their conversation covers the introduction of the Start Applying Labor Transparency (SALT) Act, which seeks to amend the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 to ensure greater transparency in financial transactions between unions and labor consultants. Vernuccio also explains the implications of President Trump's executive action, Schedule F, which aims to make certain federal employees at-will to enhance accountability. They also discuss the challenges posed by public sector unions and the potential impact of Senator Josh Hawley's Faster Labor Contracts Act, which could impose arbitration on private sector union negotiations. Vernuccio emphasizes the need for modernizing union models to align with today's workforce demands for flexibility and merit-based advancement.
Starbucks announces new barista dress code. Here’s what it looks like
April 17, 2025 // Starting on May 12, the company will require that its workers wear simple colors including any solid black short- or long-sleeved crew-neck, collared or button-up shirts with khaki, black or blue denim bottoms, according to its website. The announcement comes more than a week after Starbucks Workers United, the union representing workers at more than 525 stores across the U.S., sent a letter to the company demanding no dress code changes be implemented at union-represented stores until bargaining is completed.