The Starbucks Boycott Heats Up

You’d be forgiven for thinking the Starbucks Workers United call for a boycott isn’t new. Over the years there have been various calls and pledges for “No Contract, No Coffee” with luminaries, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, lending their support. But on Tuesday, August 25, the union intensified its efforts and “officially” called for a boycott until Starbucks finalizes a contract with over 12,000 unionized workers. 

It seemed for a while that there was progress at the bargaining table for Starbucks workers across more than 700 unionized stores, with contract negotiations restarting under former CEO Laxman Narasimhan in 2024. But he was quickly supplanted by ex-Chipotle executive Brian Niccol, and in April 2025, the bargaining committee rejected the union’s economic proposals, calling them “insufficient.” Negotiations have been stagnant since, and an investor told Restaurant Dive that the “company has backslid on labor relations” since Niccol came on board. (It’s worth noting Chipotle’s only unionized location, which unionized under Niccol’s leadership, recently dissolved, and alleged union busting on behalf of Chipotle.)

Starbucks workers had a win recently, as the company agreed to stop using amorphous silica powder in a blending mix after the union raised the issue. Though amorphous silica isn’t as dangerous as its cousin, crystalline silica, it can cause irritation if inhaled, and some workers said they suffered respiratory issues and other ailments while making drinks. A Starbucks spokesperson told the New York Times it has no plans to bring the powder back, but seemingly did not mention the union’s concerns.

The boycott call, of course, is coming right at the turn of lucrative Pumpkin Spice Latte season (the chain reportedly made $500 million on PSLs in 2024). “Starbucks is banking on customers' blind loyalty to the integrity and values this company once stood for in order to keep squeezing them for profits,” SBWU says in a statement. “At a time when working-class people across the country are struggling in a challenging economy, it is no longer possible to be both a Starbucks customer and in support of workers; choosing to spend money at Starbucks is choosing a law-breaking corporation over the baristas who make your coffee everyday exactly as you ask for it.”

This time, it seems, the call has some more muscle behind it. Starbucks Workers United is an affiliate of the SEIU and fellow labor unions like the AFL-CIO and the Chicago Teachers Union have already pledged to exclude Starbucks from all catering and sponsorships, and encourage their members to boycott Starbucks. Ravenous spoke to Wallace Whitaker, a barista in Roswell, Georgia and a member of the union’s boycott committee, about what the boycott means, both for Starbucks workers and the labor movement at large.

Jaya Saxena: How did you first get involved with worker organizing at Starbucks?

Wallace Whitaker: I’ve been working for about eight months, and about three or four months into working, one of my coworkers brought up the understaffing at our store. I started meeting more of the union representatives in the area, but it really started with one of my friends saying we could unionize. 

There seemed to be some progress under CEO Laxman Narasimhan, but the bargaining committee rejected Starbucks' economic proposals, and now there's a new CEO Brian Niccol. What are the biggest issues you're still facing at the table?

It’s things that we're really fighting for, like a $17-an-hour wage, and worker protections. These are the things that Starbucks has refused to come to an agreement on. 

SBWU has previously asked people to sign a “No Contract, No Coffee” pledge. I’m curious, is this boycott a rebranding of that ask? An escalation? How is it different?

It’s an escalation. We are partnering with institutions, organizations, and political affiliates to ask that they not use Starbucks products in conventions or events. But it’s still a call to the average consumer to stop buying Starbucks, because we understand what’s important to Starbucks is money.

The union did seem to have a recent win with Starbucks agreeing to stop using blending powder with amorphous silica in it. What does that mean for workers?

I’ve known a lot of baristas personally affected by that powder, and because Starbucks has stopped it, I feel that it has made a lot more Starbucks workers feel heard. However, with the blending powder situation specifically, it took them so long to remove it. It wasn’t something that necessarily affected customer experience, but it just shows that they were willing to put baristas in that position of possibly being hurt.

Does that win give you hope that management might be ready to move on other things?

I think it does give me hope in the sense that, when we put enough pressure on Starbucks, and the public understands and puts pressure on Starbucks with us, then we can get those big things. 

It’s PSL season, and in the winter Starbucks does Red Cup Day, which SBWU has historically taken a lot of actions around. It’s a popular time of year for Starbucks. In terms of that person to person organizing, is this something you’ve been speaking to customers about?

We’ve been more active about speaking to customers, especially when it comes to talking about those understaffing issues and how it affects them. Even in my own store, twice we’ve had to close at 5 o'clock where we usually close at 9, because of a lack of staff. We’re being a lot more open about how the issues that Starbucks will not address affects their service. Of course this is a job, so you can’t disparage your company at work, but we’re being honest and present about the challenges that we face, especially to regulars and people that often come into Starbucks. 

Have any of those regulars stopped coming in because of the boycott?

Not as of yet, but we’re still trying to get the word out. I know a lot of regulars who do want to support us. But I hope that this boycott is enough to put that pressure on Starbucks so that they can actually come to the bargaining table on these big issues to make sure workers have the hours they need to be able to afford groceries, rent, and transportation. And my bigger hope, even after the boycott, even after we get this union contract, is that this emboldens a lot of other fast-food jobs to be able to take that step in getting their own unions.

You can sign the pledge to boycott Starbucks here.