Welcome to Solidarity Saturday, your weekly highlight reel and your shortcut to staying plugged in. Our union is growing with 12 elections taking place over the next 10 days, representing nearly 250 workers. Baristas are continuing to organize, vote, and build power across the country.
Meanwhile, union baristas at seven Starbucks stores in the Twin Cities walked out on an unfair labor practice strike to protest union busting and the company’s refusal to change policies allowing ICE into stores. Six locations shut down. Striking workers then joined tens of thousands of activists marching in downtown Minneapolis to protest ICE’s actions and demand accountability.
As this historic ULP strike continues, we’re taking the next step, and we need you with us. Join us on Monday, February 2, at 8:30 pm ET alongside leaders like SEIU President April Verrett and Nina Turner to talk about what’s next in this fight and how we keep building pressure.
Here’s the week’s brew:
BREAKING: Workers at the Schuylkill Yards Starbucks just won their union, officially making every Starbucks store in West Philadelphia unionized. Huge congratulations to the baristas building power store by store.
“When unionized Starbucks baristas walked off the job this past November, they were asserting a fundamental truth about Starbucks itself. Workers are not incidental to the coffee chain’s experience. They are the experience.”
In a new op-ed for The Nation, Institute Founding Director Darrick Hamilton explains why Starbucks Workers United baristas are not just part of the brand. They are the brand. Workers’ rights, fair schedules, and union power are essential to the company’s future.
Unsafe Weather, No Pay? Baristas Said No.
In Texas, Starbucks workers saw their store close for three days due to extreme weather, only to be told the storm was not bad enough for them to receive pay. This directly contradicts company policy. When the store reopened, union baristas went on strike.
Starbucks has a history of uneven and unsafe weather policies. Multiple workers affected by the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires were instructed to remain on site and continue working in evacuation areas. Baristas organized, took action, and won pay for missed shifts.
Brazilian Coffee Workers Take Action
We stand in solidarity with Brazilian coffee workers occupying São Paulo’s largest Starbucks location to demand an end to alleged forced labor conditions on farms supplying the company. Exploitation anywhere in Starbucks’ supply chain is unacceptable, and workers across borders are demanding dignity, accountability, and real change.
As always, do not buy Starbucks until the company stops union busting and settles a fair contract. Your support makes this fight stronger!
In solidarity,
Starbucks Workers United
Wisconsin Bail Out the People Movement 
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