Starbucks workers walk a picket line as they go on strike outside a Starbucks store on Nov. 13, 2025 in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images
The Starbucks workers’ union said on Friday it is escalating an indefinite strike to more than 120 stores and 85 cities, demanding higher pay and staffing levels at the coffee chain.
The walkout, which is set to be the longest strike in the history of Starbucks, began on its Red Cup Day on November 13 with 65 stores and more than 40 cities.
The strike comes on Black Friday, the busiest time of the year for retailers when shoppers hunt for bargains on everything from food and groceries to apparel and appliances.
Workers also went on strike at Amazon warehouses in Germany on Black Friday, aiming to disrupt operations on a key sales day as they push for a collective bargaining agreement, with separate protests also planned outside Zara stores in Spain.
“It’s time for Brian Niccol and Starbucks executives to stop stalling and cut the excuses,” Michelle Eisen, Starbucks Workers United spokesperson, said.
Starbucks, which has more than 17,000 coffeehouses in the U.S., said that 99% of its locations in the country remain open.
“Regardless of the union’s plans, we do not anticipate any meaningful disruption. When the union is ready to return to the bargaining table, we’re ready to talk”, a spokesperson for Starbucks said.
Striking baristas are demanding higher wages, improved working hours and the resolution of hundreds of unfair labor practice charges for union busting.
Contract talks remain stalled despite mediation efforts in February, with both sides trading blame after delegates rejected Starbucks’ proposed package in April that guaranteed annual raises of at least 2%.
Workers United said it represents over 11,000 baristas and about 550 Starbucks stores.
Starbucks Workers United has repeatedly targeted the company’s busy holiday season and Red Cup Day, when Starbucks hands out reusable red holiday-themed cups to customers for free on coffee purchases.
Workers have staged one-day “Red Cup Rebellions” since 2022, and in December 2024, some employees walked off for a five-day strike over unresolved wage, staffing and scheduling issues.