Starbucks baristas: open-ended, escalating strike across dozens of U.S. cities

Unionized Starbucks baristas launched an open-ended strike on Nov 13 and have since expanded it; by Dec 11, organizers said more than 3,800 workers at 180+ stores in 130 cities had participated, the company’s longest work stoppage to date. Demands include better staffing, predictable scheduling and higher pay; Starbucks says fewer than 1% of U.S. stores are affected and it is willing to resume talks.

This alert was originally created on 18 December 2025.