Key facts
- More than 700 Starbucks stores have voted to unionize, representing more than 12,000 baristas, according to the report.
- Starbucks Workers United seeks a $17 an hour minimum wage for baristas and minimum staffing of three workers per store.
- Rallies were scheduled at the University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern and the University of Washington, among other schools.
- A Starbucks spokesperson said Workers United represents approximately 5% of its US partners and that the actions divert attention from bargaining.
- Starbucks said its pay and benefits are worth on average more than $30 per hour, including healthcare and tuition coverage.
- Barista Andrew Trinklein said his store recently unionized and that employees lack just-cause job protections.
Starbucks baristas, students, elected officials and allies held rallies at more than 40 college campuses across the US on November 12, 2026, backing the Starbucks Workers United boycott campaign as the union approaches five years without a first contract.
Starbucks Workers United is seeking better pay and stronger staffing, including a $17 an hour minimum wage for baristas and a minimum of three workers per store. It has called on the public to boycott Starbucks until a first contract is reached. More than 700 Starbucks stores have voted to unionize, representing more than 12,000 baristas, according to the report.
The union says it typically takes over 450 days for a new labor union to negotiate a first contract, but it has been nearly five years since the first Starbucks store in Buffalo, New York, voted to unionize in December 2021.
Starbucks Workers United began focusing on college campuses in 2023, calling on schools to cancel their Starbucks contracts in protest against the company's response to union-organizing efforts. Cornell University and Pomona College did not renew their contracts, and UCLA stopped offering Starbucks products in its cafes. Rallies were scheduled at private and public universities including the University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern and the University of Washington.
Andrew Trinklein, a barista participating in an event at the University of Texas at Austin, said: "Starbucks has been fueling the working class for decades, but they're failing the workers that fuel their profits." He said his store recently unionized and that employees are employed at-will, without just-cause job security protections.
The union and Starbucks reached an agreement on a path forward in February 2024, but negotiations broke down shortly after Brian Niccol took over as CEO. Starbucks has been found guilty of violating federal labor law by the National Labor Relations Board in several cases regarding its responses to union-organizing efforts, according to the report.
A Starbucks spokesperson said Workers United represents approximately 5% of its US partners and that actions like the rallies divert attention from the bargaining table. The spokesperson said the company does not expect meaningful disruption and that its pay and benefits are worth on average more than $30 per hour, including healthcare, tuition coverage, company stock and up to 18 weeks of paid parental leave for partners working as little as 20 hours a week.