Since Sunday, more than 1,000 baristas from 75 Starbucks stores across the United States have been on strike to protest against the new uniform policy implemented by the company starting from Monday. The strike was organized by the union “Starbucks Workers United,” representing some of the employees.
According to the latest Starbucks regulations, employees at company-operated and licensed stores in the U.S. and Canada must now wear a solid black top under the green apron, paired with khaki, black, or blue jeans. Previously, employees could wear various dark-colored or patterned tops.
Starbucks stated that the new uniform aims to highlight the brand’s iconic green apron, creating a warm and familiar atmosphere in the stores through a unified clothing style.
However, the union believes that uniforms fall under labor conditions and should be decided through negotiations between labor and management. Some employees expressed dissatisfaction with the policy, pointing out that while the company sells branded clothing internally, they are prohibited from wearing these items to work. Starbucks has stated that in compliance with the new regulations, they have provided each employee with two free black T-shirts.
Regarding the strike, Starbucks stated that the impact has been minimal, emphasizing that over 99% of its roughly 10,000 company-operated stores in the U.S. are operating as usual. According to the company, most strikes lasted for less than an hour, with participation rates below 1%.
In a statement, Starbucks commented, “Rather than spending so much energy protesting about black tops, it would be more helpful for everyone to focus on returning to the negotiation table.”
Since 2021, Starbucks Workers United has been continuously advocating for Starbucks store employees in the U.S. to join the union, with 570 stores currently falling under the union’s scope. Despite both Starbucks and the union agreeing in February this year to resume negotiations, no agreement has been reached so far.
This week, the union has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing Starbucks of not negotiating with the union on the new uniform policy, thus violating labor regulations.
(Reference: Associated Press)