Brooklyn, NY – U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani joined striking union Starbucks baristas at a picket line in Brooklyn on Monday, December 1st.
There are now 2,500 union baristas from 120+ stores across 85 citieswho are engaged in an open-ended, unfair labor practice strike against Starbucks’ who are refusing to finalize a fair union contract. The nationwide Red Cup Rebellion is the longest ULP strike in company history.
“It is an honor for my wife and me to be here with you, to stand with striking Starbucks workers who are telling this company they are sick and tired of corporate greed and sick and tired of union busting,” said Sen. Sanders, addressing the crowd of striking workers and supporters in Brooklyn.
“Like so many working people across this city, these are not demands of greed. These are demands for decency,” said Mayor-elect Mamdani to dozens of union Starbucks baristas, allies, and supporters.
Monday’s strike action follows an announcement by the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) of a landmark $38.9 million settlement with Starbucks for widespread violations of the city’s Fair Workweek Law—the largest worker protection settlement in New York City history.
New York City DCWP found that Starbucks committed more than half a million violations of the law since 2021, illegally denying thousands of workers across more than 300 locations the right to stable and predictable schedules, as well as the right to pick up additional hours and earn more; instead, Starbucks arbitrarily cut schedules and illegally prioritized their own profits over their workers’ rights.
“This historic settlement marks a major victory for thousands of Starbucks baristas across New York City,” said Lynne Fox (she/her), International President of Workers United. “For too long, Starbucks has acted with impunity: manipulating schedules, disrespecting workers, and ignoring legal protections put into place by New Yorkers to protect working people from unfair business practices.
Starbucks is the biggest violator of labor law in modern history as National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Administrative Law Judges (ALJ) have found that Starbucks has committed more than 400 labor law violations. For over six months, Starbucks has stonewalled union baristas by refusing to put forth new proposals to address their core demands.
