Starbucks Faces Strike Over New Dress Code

• Starbucks Faces Strike Over New Dress Code
• Thousands of Workers on Strike
• New Uniform Mandated

Thousands of Starbucks employees across the United States have gone on strike in protest of a newly implemented dress code.

According to the Starbucks Workers United union, the policy was introduced without any prior negotiation.

The move has led to more than 2,000 baristas walking out at over 120 stores nationwide.

As of May 12, Starbucks is requiring employees to wear black T-shirts and dark blue or black denim, or khaki pants.

Starbucks Faces Strike Over New Dress Code

More than 1,000 Starbucks baristas go on strike, protesting new uniform rules
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— Vive USA (@Vive_USA) May 14, 2025

The company pledged to provide two black T-shirts to each employee free of charge, but the union claims that many workers have yet to receive them.

The union argues that this policy should have been subject to collective bargaining.

It also asserts that the new dress code restricts employees’ individual and gender expression.

Additionally, they claim it places an economic burden on workers who must update their wardrobes without adequate support from the company.

Union Context

Starbucks workers go on strike wearing masks and pronoun pins in protest over the company’s new dress code policy.
«We just demand that Starbucks follow the law… they’re imperiling every single civil right that we have.»
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— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 17, 2025

The dress code dispute adds to a long list of labor conflicts.

The union accuses Starbucks of refusing to negotiate over key issues such as adequate staffing, fair scheduling, living wages, and support for the new uniform policy.

The company states that more than 99% of its stores remain fully operational and criticized the union for prioritizing protests over meaningful contract negotiations.

Starbucks maintains that its employment conditions are among the best in the industry, claiming an average of $30 per hour in combined wages and benefits.

This latest protest has escalated tensions between Starbucks and its unionized workforce, with a formal complaint already filed with the National Labor Relations Board over an alleged breach of the collective bargaining process.

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