More than 1,000 Starbucks baristas go on strike to protest new dress code

More than 1,000 Starbucks baristas astatine 75 U.S. stores person gone connected onslaught since Sunday to protestation a new institution formal code, a national representing the java giant's workers said Wednesday.

Starbucks enactment caller limits starting Monday connected what its baristas tin deterioration nether their greenish aprons. The formal codification requires employees astatine company-operated and licensed stores successful the U.S. and Canada to deterioration a coagulated achromatic garment and khaki, achromatic oregon bluish denim bottoms.

Under the erstwhile formal code, baristas could deterioration a broader scope of acheronian colors and patterned shirts. Starbucks said the caller rules would marque its greenish aprons basal retired and make a consciousness of familiarity for customers arsenic it tries to found a warmer, much welcoming feeling successful its stores.

But Starbucks Workers United, the national that represents workers astatine 570 of Starbucks’ 10,000 company-owned U.S. stores, said the formal codification should beryllium taxable to corporate bargaining.

“Starbucks has mislaid its way. Instead of listening to baristas who marque the Starbucks acquisition what it is, they are focused connected each the incorrect things, similar implementing a restrictive caller formal code,” said Paige Summers, a Starbucks displacement supervisor from Hanover, Maryland. “Customers don’t attraction what colour our apparel are erstwhile they’re waiting 30 minutes for a latte.”

Summers and others besides criticized the institution for selling styles of Starbucks-branded covering that employees nary longer are allowed to deterioration to enactment connected an interior website. Starbucks said it would springiness 2 escaped achromatic T-shirts to each worker erstwhile it announced the caller formal code.

Starbucks said Wednesday that the onslaught was having a constricted interaction connected its 10,000 company-operated U.S. stores.

“Thousands of Starbucks partners came to enactment this week acceptable to service their customers and communities,” the institution said successful a statement. “It would beryllium much productive if the national would enactment the aforesaid effort into coming backmost to the array to finalize a tenable contract.”

Starbucks Workers United has been unionizing U.S. stores since 2021. Starbucks and the national person yet to scope a declaration agreement, contempt agreeing to instrumentality to the bargaining array successful February 2024.

The national said this week that it filed a ailment with the National Labor Relations Board alleging Starbucks' nonaccomplishment to bargain implicit the caller formal code.

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