What happened
More than 1,000 Starbucks baristas across the U.S. have gone on strike since Sunday over the company's new dress code, the Starbucks Workers United union said Wednesday. The new policy, which took effect Monday, requires baristas to wear solid black shirts and khaki, black or blue denim bottoms under their green aprons.
Who said what
Starbucks Workers United, which represents employees at 570 of the company's 10,000 U.S. stores, said the new dress code should have been negotiated in ongoing collective bargaining talks. The new uniform "puts the burden on baristas" to "buy new clothes or risk being disciplined," union delegate Michelle Eisen told Bloomberg.
Starbucks said it offered all its workers two free black shirts and suggested the new dress code would "make its green aprons stand out and create a sense of familiarity for customers," The Associated Press said. Starbucks is "focused on all the wrong things," Paige Summers, a shift supervisor in Maryland, told AP. "Customers don't care what color our clothes are when they're waiting 30 minutes for a latte."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
The union predicted that "more walkouts by baristas are likely," said Restaurant Dive.
-
Will California tax its billionaires?Talking Points Proposed one-time levy would shore up education, Medicaid
-
Blue Origin launches Mars probes in NASA debutSpeed Read The New Glenn rocket is carrying small twin spacecraft toward Mars as part of NASA’s Escapade mission
-
Trump DOJ sues to block California redistrictingSpeed Read California’s new congressional map was drawn by Democrats to flip Republican-held House seats
-
US mints final penny after 232-year runSpeed Read Production of the one-cent coin has ended
-
How could worsening consumer sentiment affect the economy?Today’s Big Question Sentiment dropped this month to a near-record low
-
Musk wins $1 trillion Tesla pay packageSpeed Read The package would expand his stake in the company to 25%
-
Starbucks workers are planning their ‘biggest strike’ everThe Explainer The union said 92% of its members voted to strike
-
Warner Bros. explores sale amid Paramount bidsSpeed Read The media giant, home to HBO and DC Studios, has received interest from multiple buying parties
-
Gold tops $4K per ounce, signaling financial uneaseSpeed Read Investors are worried about President Donald Trump’s trade war
-
Electronic Arts to go private in record $55B dealspeed read The video game giant is behind ‘The Sims’ and ‘Madden NFL’
-
Trump proposes ending quarterly earnings reportsSpeed Read The SEC would have to approve any changes
