Starbucks Workers Rally on Campuses as Contract Talks Stall

The campus actions were part of Starbucks Workers United’s effort to pressure the company to reach a contract with unionized baristas. The union is seeking a $17-an-hour minimum wage, annual raises of 4%, job protections and a requirement for at least three workers at each cafe. More than 12,000 workers at nearly 700 stores have voted to unionize since the first election in Buffalo, New York, in December 2021, but contract talks remain unresolved.

At the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, about 30 people rallied near 34th and Walnut Streets and urged the university to stop serving Starbucks. Students Against Starbucks delivered a letter with that demand to the university president. Workers United president Lynne Fox said the union had met with the company twice that week but saw no substantive progress. A university representative gave no comment when approached.

The actions also took place at campuses including Northwestern and the University of Washington, ahead of Starbucks’ November 17 Red Cup Day. The union has focused on college campuses since 2023, pressing schools to end Starbucks contracts. Cornell University and Pomona College chose not to renew their agreements, while UCLA stopped selling Starbucks products in its cafes.

Starbucks said the union represents about 5% of its U.S. workers and that actions like the rallies distract from bargaining. The company said it does not expect meaningful disruption and cited average pay and benefits valued at more than $30 an hour, including health care, tuition coverage and paid parental leave. The union’s campaign follows years of stalled negotiations; Starbucks has been found by the National Labor Relations Board to have violated federal labor law in several cases involving its response to organizing.

Starbucks Workers Take Their Contract Fight to College Campuses

Starbucks workers brought their fight for a first union contract to college campuses on November 12, demanding better pay, staffing and job protections. The union seeks a $17 minimum hourly wage, 4% annual raises and at least three workers in each cafe. More than 12,000 workers at nearly 700 stores have unionized since the first vote in Buffalo in December 2021, yet negotiations remain stuck.

At the University of Pennsylvania, about 30 people called on the school to stop serving Starbucks, and a student coalition delivered a demand letter to the university president. Workers United president Lynne Fox said two bargaining meetings that week brought no substantive movement. Workers’ frustration comes after nearly five years without a first contract and amid federal labor-board findings that Starbucks violated labor law in several organizing-related cases.

The company says the rallies divert attention from bargaining and that the union represents about 5% of its U.S. workers. It points to average pay and benefits worth more than $30 an hour. But benefits do not replace the enforceable wage, staffing and job protections workers are seeking. Starbucks’ claim that rallies distract from talks shifts attention away from the unresolved contract, while the union’s campus campaign asks universities to use their relationships with the company as leverage.

Union Boycott Push Reaches Campuses Ahead of Starbucks Holiday Rush

A union campaign urging customers and universities to boycott Starbucks reached more than 40 campuses on November 12, just days before the chain’s November 17 Red Cup Day. At the University of Pennsylvania, about 30 rallygoers called on the school to cut ties with Starbucks. The union is also seeking a $17 minimum wage, 4% annual raises and three workers per cafe.

The stakes include pressure on a company during its holiday season, even as Starbucks says it expects no meaningful disruption. The company says the union represents about 5% of its U.S. workers and argues that rallies divert attention from bargaining. It also cites average pay and benefits valued at more than $30 an hour, including health care, tuition coverage and paid parental leave.

More than 12,000 workers at nearly 700 stores have voted to unionize since the first election in Buffalo in December 2021, but they still lack a first contract. Workers United president Lynne Fox said bargaining meetings that week had yielded no substantive change. The union’s stalled negotiations are real; so is the question of whether campus boycotts advance a contract or chiefly bring disruption to schools and customers. Starbucks says it remains focused on serving customers through the holidays.