Starbucks' Unionized Workers Plan Walkout At Morris County Shop

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — Baristas at the recently unionized Starbucks in Morris County will walk off the job on the coffee chain’s Red Cup Day, which is scheduled for Thursday.

The Ledgewood Starbucks workers said that they plan to walk off the job for one hour, from 9 to 10 a.m., as part of what they call the "Red Cup Rebellion."

The employees are also asking customers and allies to lead actions at Starbucks stores in their communities in solidarity with workers rising up for a fairer workplace.

The union, Workers United, said that they called for a one-day strike because the company has refused to settle staffing and scheduling difficulties during promotional events.

"Red Cup Day (Nov. 16) is Starbucks’s biggest sales event of the season—and also one of the most infamously hard, understaffed days for the baristas that work them. Last year, workers went on strike. This year, on the heels of victories won by striking workers across different industries nationwide, Starbucks workers are taking the rebellion to the next level," the union said in a statement.

Workers at the store in Ledgewood voted in early August to unionize, according to the National Labor Relations Board. Starbucks employees in Ledgewood followed in the footsteps of those in Hopewell, Hamilton, Summit, and Montclair, who all started the process of unionizing in early 2022.

Not all Starbucks employees are unionized. Starbucks Workers United says on their website that they represent about 9,000 Starbucks employees across 360 Starbucks that have unionized across the U.S.

According to the Ledgewood employees, their decision to unionize came from a necessity to protect themselves from management.

"For too long, we have suffered at the hands of poor management and unfair treatment. Through working with Starbucks Workers United, we are seeking to protect ourselves, our livelihoods, and our morals," the unionized employees said.

On Thursday, Ledgewood employees will gather outside Starbucks with banners, placards, and pamphlets to rally customers and passersby in support of Starbucks employees.

"We have been understaffed and overworked for the last couple of months. All across the country, Starbucks workers are experiencing chronic understaffing and increasing hostility from management. Promises about additional safety measures, quality of life improvements, they have all been broken. It's an unsustainable and unethical business model for a multi-billion dollar corporation," a unionized employee said in a statement.

The Ledgewood Starbucks is located at 401 Route 10, Ledgewood.