BIDDEFORD, Maine — A Starbucks in Biddeford is among more than 100 stores on strike across the U.S. on Thursday. Stores in 25 different states are taking action in the labor movement.
The one-day nationwide strikes come as a response to the chain restaurant opposing many employees' unionization efforts at stores around the country.
The movement comes amid one of Starbucks' busiest days of the year—Red Cup Day. Each year on Red Cup Day, the company gives away reusable red holiday cups to customers that order a holiday drink.
The strike, dubbed the "Red Cup Rebellion," is taking off on social media platforms with reactions from thousands, including prominent political figures such as Bernie Sanders and John Fetterman supporting the movement on Twitter.
Starbucks employees say they are hoping for more consistent scheduling, higher staffing levels, and better pay, but the chain says it functions better when it works directly with employees.
According to the National Labor Relations Board, at least 257 Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since late 2021, with the Biddeford store being one of them.
Workers at the Biddeford store started to picket at 6 a.m. Thursday to take a stand against the company. They say Starbucks walked out of bargaining sessions with partners across the country, and that the chain refuses to negotiate with the union.
Recently, employees at the Starbucks store in Portland's Old Port have accused the company of union busting. The company announced on Tuesday that the Old Port store would be closing for good on Dec. 23 after employees voted in favor of unionization.
"They tried saying our store was the slowest of the three locations that are downtown, but I don’t think that’s true,” Old Port Starbucks Barista Mandie Cantrell told NEWS CENTER Maine on Wednesday.
Cantrell also told NEWS CENTER Maine the company just hired two new employees at the Old Port location on the corner of Middle and Exchange Streets a few weeks ago due to how busy the store was.
Though Starbucks declined an interview with NEWS CENTER Maine on Tuesday, the company provided the following statement in an email:
"We routinely review the partner and customer experience in all our stores, to see if the store is thriving, partners are feeling supported, and that we are meeting customer needs," Starbucks said in an email. "We will bargain with the union in good faith to discuss the impact of this decision on the partners including the opportunities for transfers to other stores. We look forward to continuing to serve the community and welcome guests to visit our nearby locations."
The Old Port Starbucks employees voted to unionize 10-3 back on Oct. 17, and they announced their intent to unionize on Aug. 16.
On Thursday, while picketing, the Biddeford employees expressed anger and were upset over the announcement of the Portland store closing.
Amid the nationwide labor action on Red Cup Day, Biddeford workers hope to call to action more staffing in Starbucks stores across the country.
You can see which Starbucks stores across the country are on strike Thursday here.
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