Starbucks faces campus boycott as contract talks hit five-year wall

Starbucks Workers United members and college students took to the streets of over 40 campuses across the United States on Thursday. The rallies aim to pressure the coffee chain into signing its first contract after nearly five years of stalled negotiations. The demonstrations coincide with the company's upcoming holiday season and its Red Cup Day event on November 17.

The union is asking for a minimum wage of $17 per hour and a guarantee that every store employs at least three workers. Currently, more than 700 stores, representing over 12,000 baristas, have voted to join the union. While it usually takes new unions more than 450 days to reach an initial agreement, Starbucks has been in this standoff since a store in Buffalo, New York, voted to unionize in December 2021.

The campaign has increasingly targeted educational institutions since 2023. The union has urged schools to cancel their service agreements with Starbucks. Several universities have acted on this request. Cornell University and Pomona College did not renew their contracts, and UCLA stopped serving the brand in its cafes. Recent events have taken place at major institutions including the University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern, and the University of Washington.

Andrew Trinklein, a barista speaking at the University of Texas at Austin, said the company fails the workers who fuel its profits. He noted that his store recently unionized and that he was surprised by the expensive consultants Starbucks hired to deter other workers. Trinklein explained that employees are hired at-will, meaning they can be fired without just cause. He cited the company's policy of requiring friendly messages on cups as an example of arbitrary management. The proposed contract would provide protections against such firings.

Negotiations had made progress in February 2024, but talks broke down after Brian Niccol became CEO. Niccol previously led Chipotle from 2018 to 2024. During his time at that company, it agreed to pay $240,000 in a settlement related to a store closing in Maine after a union vote. The National Labor Relations Board ruled that closing was illegal, a finding Chipotle has denied. The NLRB has also found Starbucks guilty of violating federal labor law in several cases regarding its response to union efforts.

A Starbucks spokesperson said in a statement that the union represents about 5% of its US employees. The company believes these actions distract from the bargaining table and does not expect major disruption to holiday service. The spokesperson noted that independent research rates Starbucks as having the best pay and benefits in the industry, with an average package value of more than $30 per hour. This includes healthcare, tuition coverage, and stock options for partners working as few as 20 hours a week.

The company added that turnover is among the lowest in the industry and that nearly 3 million people applied for jobs last year.