© 2026 ABC News

Michelle Eisen, a worker from the first unionized Starbucks store in the U.S. at Elmwood Ave. in Buffalo, New York, wrote in the email that workers are \"organizing for a voice on the job and a true seat at the table.\"

\"Starbucks has left behind the very values that drew many of us to the company in the first place. You cannot be pro-LGTBQ, pro-BLM, pro-sustainability, and anti-union,\" she said.

\"PHOTO:
Robert Cohen/AP
PHOTO: Starbucks employees work the picket line during a one-day walkout involving more than 100 stores nationwide on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022 in St. Louis, Mo.
>

A spokesperson for the Seattle-based coffee chain told ABC News the company was aware of the scheduled union demonstrations at a small number of their U.S. stores.

\"In those locations where partners choose to participate, we respect their right to engage in lawful protest activity – though our focus has been, and continues to be, on uplifting the Starbucks experience for our partners and customers,\" they said. \"We remain committed to all partners and will continue to work together, side-by-side, to make Starbucks a company that works for everyone.\"

Additionally, the spokesperson clarified that \"counter to what the union has shared, Starbucks has continued to engage Workers United representatives in a good faith effort to move the bargaining process forward.\"

\"As a result of our efforts, we’ve shown up to more than 50 bargaining sessions across the country and have another 60 scheduled in the coming weeks,\" they said.

Starbucks Workers United, which represents over 260 locations and nearly 7,000 workers, has formed more new unions in a 12-month period than any U.S. company in the last 20 years.

In September, Starbucks said it had sent out letters to 234 stores to schedule bargaining sessions the following month. \"We look forward to these negotiations and hopefully setting dates and securing locations for contract bargaining.\"

However talks broke down after union members asked to allow some workers to join bargaining sessions over Zoom, with company officials walking out of those sessions only minutes after they had begun, citing federal regulations.

\"The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) prohibits any party from making recordings or transcripts of contract negotiations because such actions 'inhibit the free and open discussion necessary for conducting successful bargaining,' \" the company wrote in a statement on Oct. 28.

\"PHOTO:
Robert Cohen/AP
PHOTO: A Starbucks barista tries to divert customers from the drive-up window as she joins a one-day walkout involving more than 100 stores nationwide on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022 in St. Louis, Mo.
>

Union members also issued a statement at that time. \"Workers across the country were planning on presenting a set of core non-economic proposals that workers debuted on social media over the past few weeks,\" they wrote. \"The Union will be filing a new NLRB charge over the Company’s latest refusal to bargain in good faith.\"

The National Labor Relations Board has issued 39 official complaints against Starbucks, encompassing over 900 alleged violations of federal labor law, according to the union.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/GMA/Food/hundreds-starbucks-workers-strike-red-cup-day-organizers/story?id=93479262","legacySlug":"/food/story/hundreds-starbucks-workers-strike-red-cup-day-organizers-93479262","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"16:22","publishDate":"11-17-2022","updatedTime":"02:23","updatedDate":"11-18-2022","socialImage":{"alt":"People chant and hold signs in front of a Starbucks in New York City during a strike, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022.","credit":"Seth Wenig/AP","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/starbucks-strike-ap-rc-2211117_1668700768438_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"11/17/2022 16:22:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":93479262,"headline":"Starbucks workers strike on Red Cup Day","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA STARBUCKS STRIKE","description":"This is the biggest coordinated national action by unionized Starbucks stores.","duration":"1:01","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/11/211111_vod_starbucks_1_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["81649388","92533974","86885700"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"story","date":"December 9, 2021","headline":"Starbucks cafe in Buffalo votes to form coffee chain's 1st union in US","section":"news","slug":"/news/story/nlrb-set-count-votes-starbucks-union-election-buffalo-81649388","id":81649388,"image":{"alt":"Starbucks cafe in Buffalo votes to form coffee chain's 1st union in US","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Business/starbucks-buffalo-rt-rc-211209_1639058945975_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Lindsay Dedario/Reuters","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"November 16, 2022","headline":"Starbucks' holiday menu is here with reusable red cups, peppermint mochas and more","section":"food","slug":"/food/story/starbucks-red-holiday-cups-return-25th-year-peppermint-92533974","id":92533974,"image":{"alt":"Starbucks' holiday menu is here with reusable red cups, peppermint mochas and more","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/starbucks-1-ht-gmh-221102_1667399678902_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Courtesy of Starbucks","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"July 15, 2022","headline":"Why Starbucks says it's closing multiple locations, and what consumers need to know","section":"food","slug":"/food/story/starbucks-explains-decision-making-process-recent-store-closures-86885700","id":86885700,"image":{"alt":"Why Starbucks says it's closing multiple locations, and what consumers need to know","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/closed-la-starbucks-gty-jef-220715_1657901521219_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images","ratio":"1x1"}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Starbucks workers strike on Red Cup Day","description":"This is the biggest coordinated national action by unionized Starbucks stores.","duration":"1:01","uploadDate":"11-17-2022","publication":"11-17-2022","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/11/211111_vod_starbucks_1_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/11/211111_vod_starbucks_1_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/food/story/hundreds-starbucks-workers-strike-red-cup-day-organizers-93479262"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132283010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132273278","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132231169","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132206748","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132200241","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131543053","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131432442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131121474","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131247079","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131228784","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131178806","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131142257","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:food:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"food","title":"Starbucks workers strike on Red Cup Day","pubTime":"11:22","pubDate":"11-17-2022","modTime":"21:23","modDate":"11-17-2022","taxonomyTags":"none","id":93479262,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Starbucks workers strike on Red Cup Day","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA STARBUCKS STRIKE","videoId":93479262,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/food/story/hundreds-starbucks-workers-strike-red-cup-day-organizers-93479262"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/93479262","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/93479262","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};