Princeton Starbucks Workers Plan Walkout Thursday On Red Cup Day

PRINCETON, NJ – Thousands of Starbucks workers, including those from the shop in Princeton, will walk off their jobs on Thursday to protest the company's stance with shops that vote to organize, Starbucks Workers United said.

The walkoff coincides with Red Cup Day, the company’s biggest sales day of the year.

Workers are demanding the company respect their right to organize a union.

The strike will be held from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Starbucks on 100 Nassau.

“Red Cup Day (November 16th) 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,” Starbucks Workers United said.

“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. In addition to our nationwide ULP strike on the 16th, we’re also asking customers and allies to lead actions at Starbucks stores in their communities in solidarity with workers rising up for a fairer workplace.”

Not all Starbucks in New Jersey are unionized. In Mercer County the Hamilton and Hopewell stores are unionized. The Princeton store is not unionized, but they are calling on customers to support all workers.

Here’s what they said:

“Starbucks workers are calling on customers and allies to stand in solidarity with them on Red Cup Day - the company’s biggest sales day of the year - and demand that Starbucks respect workers’ right to organize a union. Join Princeton YDSA on November 16 for Red Cup Rebellion to make sure Starbucks hears worker demands loud and clear. We’ll meet outside of the Princeton Starbucks with materials to engage customers and passersby in support of Starbucks workers.”

More than 360 Starbucks stores in the United States have won union elections with Starbucks Workers United since December 2021. However, the union campaign has faced significant opposition from the company in their efforts to bargain a contract.

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