Over 1,000 Starbucks Baristas Strike in 40 U.S. Cities

More than 1,000 unionized Starbucks baristas walked out at 65 stores across at least 40 U.S. cities on Thursday, launching an open-ended strike timed to coincide with the company's annual Red Cup Day promotion, one of its busiest sales periods of the year.

The action, organized by Starbucks Workers United, targeted locations including New York, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, San Diego, St. Louis, Dallas, Columbus, Ohio, and Seattle, the company's headquarters city. Workers rallied outside stores, urging customers to avoid purchases as part of a "No Contract, No Coffee" campaign aimed at pressuring Starbucks to resume negotiations for the union's first collective bargaining agreement. The strike began on Red Cup Day, when Starbucks offers free reusable holiday cups to customers buying seasonal drinks, drawing large crowds and boosting revenue.

Union representatives described the walkouts as an unfair labor practice strike, protesting what they called the company's failure to address key demands after months of stalled talks. Baristas seek improved staffing to reduce long wait times, more consistent hours to qualify for benefits, higher wages, and resolution of hundreds of charges...