More than 1,000 baristas from 75 Starbucks locations across the United States went on strike Sunday to protest a new company-imposed dress code, according to Starbucks Workers United, the union representing some of the coffee chain’s employees.
Starting Monday, Starbucks began requiring workers—both at corporate-owned and franchised stores in the U.S. and Canada—to wear plain black shirts and pants in khaki, black, or blue denim. The company claims the move is meant to highlight its iconic green aprons and create a more consistent and welcoming environment for customers.
However, the union argues the changes should be subject to collective bargaining. Under the previous policy, employees were allowed a wider range of dark colors and patterned shirts.
“Starbucks has lost its way. Instead of listening to the baristas who make the Starbucks experience what it is, they’re focusing on all the wrong things, like enforcing a restrictive dress code,” said Paige Summers, a shift supervisor at a store in Hanover, Maryland. “Customers don’t care what color our clothes are if they have to wait 30 minutes for a latte.”
Workers also criticized the company for selling Starbucks-branded apparel on an internal website—items that are now prohibited under the new dress code. To ease the rollout, Starbucks offered two free black T-shirts to each employee.
Starbucks downplayed the strike’s impact on its operations. “Thousands of Starbucks partners came to work this week, ready to serve their customers and communities,” the company said in a statement. “It would be more productive if the union put the same energy into returning to the bargaining table to finalize a reasonable contract.”
Starbucks Workers United has been organizing stores across the U.S. since 2021. While both parties agreed to resume negotiations in February, they have yet to reach a contract agreement. This week, the union filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that Starbucks failed to negotiate the new dress code.
