Employees from four Starbucks outlets in Massachusetts join thousands in a national strike called the "Red Cup Rebellion." Organized on Starbucks' busiest day, "Red Cup Day," this protest marks a critical step in the workers' campaign for unionization. The company uses this day to distribute free reusable cups to customers who purchase holiday drinks, reports WBUR.

According to the strike's central union, Workers United, over 5,000 employees across the nation are anticipated to join the movement. Workers from Allston, Brighton, Newton, and Worcester will strike to improve their working conditions, including increased staffing and better scheduling during high-stress promotions like Red Cup Day, as well as the suspension of mobile ordering during such promotions as per The Boston Globe.

Understaffing not only burdens the employees but the customers as well, Neha Cremin, an Oklahoma City-based Starbucks employee, told WBUR. Their divides are apparent, she adds, stating that Starbucks won't listen to the workers, leading them to take matters into their own hands.

This strike is the fifth such labor action taken by Starbucks employees since Buffalo, New York's first unionized Starbucks store in late 2021. Retrospectively, last year saw workers from 110 stores skip Red Cup Day. However, these protests haven't stunted Starbucks' revenue, which spiked 12% in fiscal year 2023 to an all-time high of $36.0 billion as reported by WBUR.

Regarding the strike's leverage, Starbucks considers it would only affect a mere "subset" of its 9,600 company-owned US locations. Conversely, Workers United accuses Starbucks of the slow pace of contract talks, even claiming that Starbucks has dodged meetups for over five months according to The Boston Globe.

Since late 2021, no fewer than 363 company-owned Starbucks stores across 41 states have had successful votes for unionization. As per data from Cornell University's Labor Action Tracker, at least 457,000 employees struck 315 times in 2023 alone as reported by WBUR.

Starbucks continues to eschew the unionization process and has not yet ratified any labor contracts with stores that have voted for union representation. The National Labor Relations Board regional branches have issued 111 complaints against Starbucks for unfair labor practices, including refusal to bargain in good faith. Conversely, Starbucks claims that Workers United is the party reluctant to arrange bargaining sessions according to WBUR.

In the recent wave of legal rows, Starbucks sued Workers United last month, alleging defamation after a pro-Palestinian post went up on a union account. However, Workers United rebutted with a lawsuit accusing Starbucks of disruption by suggesting that the union endorsed violent, terrorist activities as reported by WBUR.

The public and the employees are watching to see whether the strike will precipitate a response from Starbucks or if the dispute between the company and union will remain unresolved.