Starbucks workers launch ‘Red Cup Rebellion’ strike on Thursday
Starbucks workers at stores in Olympia and Tumwater were expected to join a nationwide strike Thursday, which is the company’s Red Cup Day when customers are given a free red reusable cup with their purchase.
Starbucks United Workers reported that nearly 400 employees around Washington were expected to be picketing Thursday against the coffee chain that the union contends is refusing to bargain with baristas over a number of issues, including staffing and scheduling.
According to a news release from Starbucks Workers United, 14 stores across nine cities in Washington would be participating in the Red Cup Rebellion.
Three stores in Thurston County were listed by the union as participating in the strike: 1301 Cooper Point Road SW, 340 Cleveland Ave. SE, and 1301 Yelm Highway SE. A check by The Olympian showed that the Cooper Point store was closed entirely, but the other two sites were functioning as usual Thursday morning.
Locations in Seattle, Shoreline, Bellingham, and Vancouver were expected to participate in the strike as well.
Workers were demanding that the company turn off mobile ordering on future promotion days, when stores are often understaffed. According to the release, workers earlier this year filed an unfair labor practice lawsuit against Starbucks over their refusal to bargain around promotion days.
“On Red Cup Day, drink orders pile up and are abandoned, lines are out the door, and Starbucks workers are left to handle angry customers who have had to wait much longer than usual for their beverages and food, all while trying to make complicated holiday specialty beverages as fast as possible,” the release says. “When the supply of red cups runs out, customers get disappointed and often take their anger out on workers.”
According to the release, Starbucks has offered workers at non-union locations extra benefits such as credit card tipping and 3% raises.
Starbucks spokesperson Andrew Trull said there are nearly 10,000 stores still open Nov. 16, with fewer than 100 stores participating in protest activities. He said he also wants to reinforce that though the specific days may change, Starbucks has a long history of surprising customers with periodic offers and promotions such as Red Cup Day.
“We understand that these promotional days change store patterns and traffic, and that’s why our retail leaders have the flexibility to build and adjust staffing schedules to reflect the unique and dynamic needs of each store — balancing store resources and expected customer demand to ensure partners are on the floor when they’re needed most,” he said.
He said despite recurring rallies demanding a contract, Workers United hasn’t agreed to meet in more than five months.
“As we join together to uplift the holiday season and reflect on the past year, we again call on Workers United to fulfill their obligations and engage in the work of negotiating first contracts on behalf of the partners they represent,” he said.
