Barista Siti Pulcheon shows the back of her Starbucks Workers United T-shirt at a Sept. 28 protest in Columbus, Ohio.
Workers gather on Oct. 2, 2025, during a practice picket outside of a Starbucks location in Indianapolis.

When you head to Starbucks over the next week or so, before picking up that latte order, you may encounter a picket line.

Starbucks Workers United, which organizers say represents more than 12,000 baristas in 45 states and the District of Columbia, has planned rallies and pickets to take place at 70 Starbucks in 60 cities between Friday, Oct. 24, and Sunday, Nov. 2.

At the same time, union members have begun voting on whether to authorize an unfair labor practice strike in the future, according to the union, which represents about 550 union-organized Starbucks locations.

Last month, when Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol announced the cutting of about 900 jobs and the closure of about 1% of its stores, 59 union locations were among those closed.

Starbucks union plans pickets, holds potential strike vote

In the days after Niccol announced the job cuts and store closings, some workers briefly walked off the job at various Starbucks, including in Columbus, Ohio, Indianapolis, Nashville and Eugene, Oregon, to raise attention to their contract fight.

The union doesn't have an end date for its current vote (Members began casting votes on Friday, Oct. 24.), nor does it have a set date for a scheduled work strike. However, Starbucks is about to hit a peak period as it serves customers their last Pumpkin Spice Lattes of the season, segues to the specialty coffee chain's holiday menu and prepares for its popular Red Cup Day on Nov. 13.

In February 2024, Starbucks and Workers United began negotiations on a contract for union baristas. However, no contractual agreement has been reached, with both sides pointing fingers at the other.

During the 2024 holiday season – after the two sides failed to reach an agreement – unionized Starbucks baristas went on a five-day strike, which closed some cafes in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle. During the strike, the company said there was no significant impact on store operations at the time.

In April 2025, Starbucks Workers United delegates voted to reject Starbucks' proposal of guaranteed annual raises of at least 2%. According to the union, the company did not offer changes to economic benefits such as healthcare or any immediate pay hike. That proposal represented "an incomplete framework," the company said at the time.

Back in May, more than 1,200 union members went on strike to protest a new dress code policy. Last month, workers in three states sued or filed complaints, seeking reimbursement for purchases to adhere to the new dress code.

Starbucks Workers United said the company "knows where we stand. They know our demands: more take-home pay, better hours, resolving legal issues. It’s time to finalize a contract this fall before the all-important holiday season,” said spokesperson Michelle Eisen in a statement. “We remain ready to negotiate whenever Starbucks is willing to bargain in good faith and offer new proposals that address our demands. For example, baristas across the country are calling on Starbucks to come back to the table and address our demands now.”

Starbucks, for its part, says it is willing to bargain with the union, which the company says represents about 9,500 of its "partners," or employees. "Workers United only represents around 4% of our partners but chose to walk away from the bargaining table. If they’re ready to come back, we’re ready to talk," corporate spokesperson Jaci Anderson said in a statement to USA TODAY.

"Any agreement needs to reflect the reality that Starbucks already offers the best job in retail including more than $30 an hour on average in pay and benefits for hourly partners," Anderson said. "We’re investing over $500 million to put more partners in stores during busy times. The facts show people like working at Starbucks. Partner engagement is up, turnover is nearly half the industry average, and we get more than 1 million job applications a year.”

Where will Starbucks Workers United hold rallies and pickets?

Starbucks Workers United said it is planning rallies and pickets through Nov. 2 at locations in the following states:

  • Alabama
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Illinois
  • Iowa
  • Kentucky
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Missouri
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio
  • Oregon
  • Pennyslvania
  • Rhode Island
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Virginia
  • Washington

Contributing: Michelle Del Rey, Stuart Dyos, Bradley Hohulin, Samantha Pierotti and Emma Wozniak, USA TODAY Network and Reuters

Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Starbucks workers union planning pickets, rallies through Nov. 2. See in which states.

Reporting by Mike Snider, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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