AFL-CIO Stands in Solidarity with Striking Starbucks Workers

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler issued the following statement today in support of Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) as it launched nationwide strikes on Red Cup Day:

The AFL-CIO, representing nearly 15 million working people, is proud to stand in solidarity with Starbucks workers starting strikes today at Starbucks corporate stores across the nation. For four long years, SBWU members have fought tirelessly for better pay, fair hours, and adequate staffing for more than 12,000 workers and counting. Yet Starbucks has dug its heels in, engaging in shameless and persistent union-busting. Today's strike aims to hold the corporation accountable and demand the resolution of the unfair labor practices that have made it impossible to reach a fair contract. 

While Starbucks workers struggle to make ends meet, CEO Brian Niccol's sky-high compensation gave Starbucks the worst CEO-to-worker pay ratio of any S&P 500 company last year. He made 6,666 times the workers’ median pay in 2024—nearly $98 million in annualized total compensation—compared to a typical Starbucks barista who made less than $15,000. It is outrageous that Niccol and other corporate executives continue to pad their already overflowing pockets at workers’ expense while denying them their fundamental rights on the job.  

America's unions stand shoulder to shoulder with Starbucks workers today. We urge Niccol and Starbucks corporate executives to finally do right by the workers who drive the company's profit and negotiate a long-overdue fair contract.

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