More than 1,000 Starbucks baristas go on strike to protest new dress code

By DEE-ANN DURBIN More than Starbucks baristas at U S stores have gone on strike since Sunday to protest a new company dress code a union representing the coffee giant s workers commented Wednesday Related Articles Ford recalls nearly Navigator and Expedition SUVs due to vulnerability of loss of brake function Chinese businesses view tariff pause with caution and uncertainty Sony racks up record profit on robust performance for music movies and games American Eagle tumbles after pulling financial guidance for Trump administration rescinds curbs on AI chip exports to foreign markets Starbucks put new limits starting Monday on what its baristas can wear under their green aprons The dress code requires employees at company-operated and licensed stores in the U S and Canada to wear a solid black shirt and khaki black or blue denim bottoms Under the previous dress code baristas could wear a broader range of dark colors and patterned shirts Starbucks announced the new rules would make its green aprons stand out and create a sense of familiarity for customers as it tries to establish a warmer more welcoming feeling in its stores But Starbucks Workers United the union that represents workers at of Starbucks company-owned U S stores explained the dress code should be subject to collective bargaining Starbucks has lost its way Instead of listening to baristas who make the Starbucks experience what it is they are focused on all the wrong things like implementing a restrictive new dress code stated Paige Summers a Starbucks shift supervisor from Hanover Maryland Customers don t care what color our clothes are when they re waiting minutes for a latte Summers and others also criticized the company for selling styles of Starbucks-branded clothing that employees no longer are allowed to wear to work on an internal website Starbucks announced it would give two free black T-shirts to each employee when it communicated the new dress code Starbucks stated Wednesday that the strike was having a limited impact on its company-operated U S stores Thousands of Starbucks partners came to work this week ready to serve their customers and communities the company explained in a declaration It would be more productive if the union would put the same effort into coming back to the table to finalize a reasonable contract Starbucks Workers United has been unionizing U S stores since Starbucks and the union have yet to reach a contract agreement despite agreeing to return to the bargaining table in February The union mentioned this week that it filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging Starbucks failure to bargain over the new dress code