Yesterday, Starbucks employees all over the country went on strike on what is considered one of the company’s most profitable days of the year. Employees have protested in about 111 stores as an attempt to get the attention of the company’s executives. The staff is clamoring for more and better organized bargaining sessions, more staffing during some of the busiest periods of the year, such as Christmas, and an overall healthier work ethic.
What has been dubbed the “Red Cup Rebellion” took place on Thursday during Red Cup Day. This day is very special for the coffee giant as it hands out limited-edition reusable cups for customers who order a handcrafted fall or holiday drink. Customers amass before opening hours outside the almost 16,000 Starbucks cafes around the US, to ensure that they get their limited-edition cup.
Members of the Starbucks Workers Union have chosen to strike on Thursday because on this day employees are forced to work longer hours and under very high pressure. The workers say this day is emblematic of the company’s stressful, overloading, and uncaring work culture. Some employees have called it “the worst day of your year”, while a former worker has said that “reading the words ‘red cup day’ sent chills down [his] spine with a side of ptsd.”
A.J Jones, an executive vice-president of communication at Starbucks, denies these claims and told NPR news that the worker’s allegations “could not be further from the truth.” He believes that the company has always proven to be very welcoming in understanding employees’ needs through bargaining sessions.
Workers who engaged in the strike are optimistic that a change will come. Michelle Eisen, a barista at a Starbucks store in Buffalo, talked with Vice News about how on “this Red Cup Day, we’re organizing for a voice on the job and a true seat at the table.”
The strike comes shortly after the National Labor Relations Board, a federal government agency responsible of enforcing labor laws, called for action in federal court, to stop Starbucks executives from firing employees that engage in pro-union activities.
