Starbucks closes stores and cuts jobs
Affected employees will be notified this week and offered relocation opportunities and severance benefits. (Scripps News)
scripps news
If you go to Starbucks over the next week or so, you might encounter a picket line before you can get your latte.
Starbucks Workers United, which represents more than 12,000 baristas in 45 states and the District of Columbia, plans to hold rallies and pickets at 70 Starbucks stores in 60 cities between Friday, Oct. 24 and Sunday, Nov. 2, organizers said.
At the same time, the union representing about 550 Starbucks stores said its members have begun voting on whether to authorize future unfair labor practice strikes.
When Starbucks CEO Brian Nicol announced last month that the company would cut about 900 jobs and close about 1% of its stores, 59 union stores were among those closed.
Starbucks union plans picketing, holds possibility of strike vote
Days after Nicoll’s announced layoffs and store closures, some employees temporarily quit their jobs at various Starbucks locations, including Columbus, Ohio, Indianapolis, Nashville, and Eugene, Oregon, to draw attention to the contract fight.
The union has no end date for the current vote (members began voting on Friday, October 24), and no date has been set for a planned labor strike. But it’s about to hit its peak as Starbucks serves customers its last Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season, following the specialty coffee chain’s holiday menu and gearing up for its popular Red Cup Day on Nov. 13.
In February 2024, Starbucks and Workers United began negotiating contracts for union baristas. However, no contractual agreement has been reached, with each side blaming the other.
Unionized Starbucks baristas went on strike for five days during the 2024 holiday season after the two sides failed to reach an agreement, closing some cafes in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle. The company said there was no significant impact on store operations at the time during the strike.
In April 2025, representatives from Starbucks Workers United voted to reject Starbucks’ proposal to guarantee annual raises of at least 2%. According to the union, the company did not offer changes to financial benefits such as medical expenses or immediate raises. The company said at the time that the proposal was an “incomplete framework.”
Back in May, more than 1,200 union members went on strike to protest the new dress code policy. Last month, workers in three states filed lawsuits or complaints seeking refunds for purchases made to comply with the new dress code.
Michelle Eisen, a spokeswoman for Starbucks Workers United, said in a statement that the company “understands our position and understands our demands, including increased take-home pay, improved hours, and resolution of legal issues. Now is the time to finalize a deal this fall before the all-important holiday season.” “We are ready to negotiate whenever Starbucks is willing to negotiate in good faith and come up with a new offer that addresses our demands. For example, baristas across the country are calling on Starbucks to come back to the table and address our demands now.”
Starbucks says it is willing to negotiate with the union representing about 9,500 “partners,” or employees. “Workers United represents only about 4% of our partner companies, but they have chosen to walk away from the negotiating table. If they are willing to come back, we are ready to talk,” corporate spokesperson Jaycee Anderson said in a statement to USA TODAY.
“Any agreement must reflect the reality that Starbucks already offers its hourly partners the best jobs in retail, including salaries and benefits that average more than $30 an hour,” Anderson said. “We invest more than $500 million to have more partners in our stores during peak seasons. The facts show that people love working at Starbucks. Partner engagement is up, sales are nearly half the industry average, and we receive more than 1 million job applications a year.”
Where will Starbucks Workers United hold rallies and pickets?
Starbucks Workers United said it plans to rally and picket at locations in the following states through Nov. 2:
- Alabama
- arizona
- arkansas
- California
- colorado
- connecticut
- florida
- georgia
- illinois
- iowa
- kentucky
- maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- minnesota
- missouri
- nevada
- new hampshire
- new york
- north carolina
- ohio
- Oregon
- pennsylvania
- rhode island
- texas
- Utah
- virginia
- washington
Contributed by Michelle Del Rey, Stuart Dios, Bradley Horin, Samantha Pierotti, Emma Wozniak, USA Today Network and Reuters
Mike Snyder is a national trends news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, and X, and email him at: mike snyder & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com
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