Starbucks Workers Strike on Red Cup Day | Eater

"For the past 25 years a holiday tradition of limited-edition drinks and reusable red cups—known as Red Cup Day—has become a hugely profitable, highly trafficked event that draws long lines and collectible-focused customers. This year, more than 100 stores and thousands of workers organized by SB Workers United staged strikes and pickets on Red Cup Day, handing out union-themed red cups and urging customers to join picket lines or donate to a solidarity fund to pressure corporate over alleged union-busting and refusal to bargain in good faith. Workers cite concrete grievances—firings for pro-union expression, closures of stores undergoing organizing, denied benefits at unionizing locations, chronic understaffing and uncompensated overtime during holiday rushes—and say leadership’s rhetoric on social values conflicts with anti-union actions; Michelle Eisen described these developments as a betrayal of the company’s professed values. Corporate representatives deny unlawful discipline, say they have sought bargaining, and have filed unfair labor practice charges against the union, while workers and the NLRB have filed numerous complaints against corporate (workers report dozens of NLRB filings). Negotiations have recently broken down amid disputes over virtual participation and recording of sessions. High-profile politicians and customers have rallied behind the strikers, and organizers emphasize that targeting Red Cup Day hits one of the chain’s most lucrative moments to demand better staffing, pay, and a genuine voice on the job." - Jaya Saxena