Starbucks workers kick off 65-store US strike on company's busy Red Cup Day

More than 1,000 unionized Starbucks workers plan to strike at 65 U.S. stores Thursday to protest a lack of progress in labor negotiations with the company.

The strike was intended to disrupt Starbucks' Red Cup Day, which is typically one of the company's busiest days of the year. Since 2018, Starbucks has given out free, reusable cups on that day to customers who buy a holiday drink.

Starbucks Workers United, the union organizing Starbucks baristas, said stores in 45 cities would be impacted, including New York, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, San Diego, St. Louis, Dallas, Columbus, Ohio, and Starbucks' home city of Seattle. There is no date set for the strike to end, and more stores are prepared to join if Starbucks doesn't reach a contract agreement with the union, organizers said.

Starbucks emphasized that the vast majority of its U.S. stores would be open and operating as usual Thursday. The coffee giant has 10,000 company-owned stores in the U.S., as well as 7,000 licensed locations in places like grocery stores and airports.

Around 550 company-owned U.S. Starbucks stores are currently unionized. More have voted to unionize, but Starbucks closed 59 unionized stores in September as part of a larger reorganization campaign.

Here's what's behind the strike.

Striking workers say they're protesting because Starbucks has yet to reach a contract agreement with the union. Starbucks workers first voted to unionize at a store in Buffalo in 2021. In December 2023, Starbucks vowed to finalize an agreement by the end of 2024. But in August of last year, the company ousted Laxman Narasimhan, the CEO who made that promise. The union said progress has stalled under Brian Niccol, the company’s current chairman and CEO.

Workers say they're seeking better hours and improved staffing in stores, where they say long customer wait times are routine. They say too many workers aren't getting the required 20 hours per week they need before Starbucks' benefits kick in. They also want higher pay, pointing out that executives like Niccol are making millions.

The union also wants the company to resolve hundreds of unfair labor practice charges filed by workers, who say the company has fired baristas in retaliation for unionizing and has failed to bargain over changes in policy that workers must enforce, like its decision earlier this year to limit restroom use to paying customers.

Starbucks says it offers the best wage and benefit package in retail, worth an average of $30 per hour. Among the company's benefits are up to 18 weeks of paid family leave and 100% tuition coverage for a four-year college degree. In a letter to employees last week, Starbucks’ Chief Partner Officer Sara Kelly said the union walked away from the bargaining table in the spring.

Kelly said Starbucks remained ready to talk and “believes we can move quickly to a reasonable deal.” Kelly also said surveys showed that most employees like working for the company, and its barista turnover rates are half the industry average.

Unionized workers have gone on strike at Starbucks before. In 2022 and 2023, workers walked off the job on Red Cup Day. Last year, a five-day strike ahead of Christmas closed 59 U.S. stores. Each time, Starbucks said the disruption to its operations was minimal. Starbucks United said the new strike is open-ended and could spread to many more unionized locations.

The number of non-union Starbucks locations dwarfs the number of unionized ones. But Todd Vachon, a union expert at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations, said any strike could be highly visible and educate the public on baristas' concerns.

Unlike manufacturers, Vachon said, retail industries depend on the connection between their employees and their customers. That makes shaming a potentially powerful weapon in the union’s arsenal, he said.

Starbucks' same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, rose 1% in the July-September period. It was the first time in nearly two years that the company had posted an increase. In his first year at the company, Niccol set new hospitality standards, redesigned stores to be cozier and more welcoming, and adjusted staffing levels to better handle peak hours.

Starbucks also is trying to prioritize in-store orders over mobile ones. Last week, the company's holiday drink rollout in the U.S. was so successful that it almost immediately sold out of its glass Bearista cup. Starbucks said demand for the cup exceeded its expectations, but it wouldn't say if the Bearista will return before the holidays are over.

A protester sign is seen during a picket outside a Starbucks, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Protesters picket outside a Starbucks, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

A protester chants during a picket outside a Starbucks, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Protesters picket outside a Starbucks, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Protesters picket outside a Starbucks, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Protesters picket outside a Starbucks, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

FILE - A Starbucks sign is seen on, Jan. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)

New Manchester City signing Antoine Semenyo scored his second goal in as many games as Pep Guardiola's team moved within reach of the English League Cup final with a 2-0 win over Newcastle on Tuesday.

The forward, who joined City from Bournemouth for $87 million last week, struck the opening goal in the semifinal first leg at St James' Park, with substitute Rayan Cherki scoring the second in time added on.

Semenyo also scored on his debut in the 10-1 rout of Exeter in the FA Cup over the weekend. And it could have been even better for the Ghana international, who saw a brilliantly taken back-heeled goal ruled out for a marginal offside.

The 26-year-old Semenyo is already looking like a shrewd buy for City after establishing himself as one of the Premier League's top talents for Bournemouth. He scored 10 goals for the Cherries this season.

He has added another dimension to City's attack as Guardiola targets four trophies this term.

The League Cup could be the first of those, with City holding a two-goal advantage against holder Newcastle heading into next month's second leg at its Etihad Stadium.

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola drinks water as he attends the start of the English League Cup semifinal first leg soccer match between Newcastle and Manchester City in Newcastle, England, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester City's Rayan Cherki celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English League Cup semifinal first leg soccer match between Newcastle and Manchester City in Newcastle, England, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester City's Rayan Cherki celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English League Cup semifinal first leg soccer match between Newcastle and Manchester City in Newcastle, England, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English League Cup semifinal first leg soccer match between Newcastle and Manchester City in Newcastle, England, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo, left, celebrates a goal that was later disallowed by a VAR decision during the English League Cup semifinal first leg soccer match between Newcastle and Manchester City in Newcastle, England, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)