Starbucks Baristas Strike Nationwide Over New Dress Code

Starbucks workers stage a nationwide strike over a new dress code. Baristas at nearly 75 Starbucks locations across the United States walked off the job on May 14, 2025, protesting a new company dress code that mandates plain black t-shirts and khaki or denim bottoms. The protest is led by Starbucks Workers United, a union representing workers at 570 of Starbucks' 10,000 company-owned U.S. stores. The union argues that the dress code should be negotiated through collective bargaining and filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging the company's failure to bargain in good faith. "Finding out last minute that you need to go out and purchase a brand new dress code that you can't afford is completely out of touch," said one striking barista. Starbucks responded with a statement saying it would be "more productive if the union would put the same effort into coming back to the table that they're putting into protesting wearing black shirts to work." The strike highlights ongoing labor disputes within the coffee giant and underscores the importance of fair labor practices and collective bargaining in the modern workplace. The outcome of the NLRB complaint and the ongoing negotiations will be closely watched.