New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has publicly backed unionised Starbucks baristas and pledged to stop buying from the coffee chain after more than a thousand workers launched strikes at outlets across the United States. He also called on others to join the boycott.
“Starbucks workers across the country are on an Unfair Labor Practices strike, fighting for a fair contract. While workers are on strike, I won’t be buying any Starbucks, and I’m asking you to join us,” Mamdani wrote.
“Together, we can send a powerful message: No contract, no coffee,” he added, sharing his message in response to a post from the “Starbucks Workers United” account on X.
The union had announced: “As of today, Starbucks workers across the country are officially ON STRIKE. And we’re prepared for this to become the biggest and longest ULP strike in Starbucks history. Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON’T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike!”
Mixed reaction online
Mamdani’s stance on the Starbucks strike drew a mixed response on social media, with some users praising his solidarity and others criticising the call for a boycott.
One user wrote, “There are only certain stores that are unionized, approximately 650 out of 10,000. That’s only 6.5% of all the stores. You are barking up the wrong tree with this one.”
Another argued, “Easy for politicians to boycott when they don’t rely on a $15/hr job. Meanwhile, the strike just leaves regular people stuck paying more or going without. These grandstanding calls for ‘no coffee’ always hit workers harder than corporations.”
A third commenter asked, “Who wants to pay $5-$7 for an overrated cup of coffee in the first place?” while another said simply, “I’ll never buy a Starbucks again.”
What is the strike about?
The strike was planned to disrupt Starbucks’ Red Cup Day, an annual promotion in which the company has, since 2018, given customers free reusable cups when they purchase certain holiday drinks.
Starbucks Workers United said the action will impact stores in 45 cities across the United States, including New York, Dallas, Seattle, Ohio, Minneapolis and Philadelphia. The union has described it as an “open-ended” strike, with no set end date.
The baristas say they are protesting because Starbucks has not yet reached a contract agreement with the union.
