Starbucks Workers United launched a nationwide strike on November 13, 2025, to coincide with the coffeehouse chain's annual Red Cup Day.

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

Virginia Starbucks workers are now part of the largest unfair labor practice strike in company history, as baristas in Ashburn and Falls Church walked off the job Thursday and joined thousands of workers nationwide calling for better pay, hours, and staffing.

The growing “Red Cup Rebellion” hit day 22 on Thursday, Dec. 4, when union organizers announced that baristas from 26 new stores had joined the open-ended strike. 

The walkout now includes more than 3,000 baristas at over 145 stores in more than 105 cities. Workers say they are protesting “Starbucks’ historic union busting and failure to finalize a fair union contract.”

“We know a better future is possible at Starbucks, which is why I’m proud to join the Red Cup Rebellion alongside thousands of my fellow union baristas,” said Sabina Aguirre, a barista from Columbus, Ohio. 

“Baristas are what make Starbucks run. We need the company to stop union-busting and finally finalize a fair union contract that improves our pay, hours, and staffing.”

But the local angle hits close to home: Virginia workers at stores in Ashburn and Falls Church officially joined the strike Thursday, marking another major expansion in a region where Starbucks stores have become increasingly active in labor efforts. 

The union said “hundreds of union Starbucks baristas” joined the picket lines Thursday.

Organizers said more than 200,000 customers and allies have now pledged “No Contract, No Coffee” while the strike continues. 

Workers say Starbucks has failed to propose solutions for key issues, including staffing, predictable hours, and higher take-home pay.

National attention surged this week after New York City officials announced a $38.9 million settlement with Starbucks over more than half a million violations of the city’s Fair Workweek Law, calling it the largest worker-protection settlement in the city’s history. 

The union said this reinforces what baristas nationwide — including those in Virginia — have been telling the company for years.

The strike is expected to continue as union baristas prepare for a large rally in New York City, joined by national labor leaders and elected officials.

"Finalizing a fair union contract would cost Starbucks less than one average day’s sales and less than Starbucks' Niccol’s $96 million compensation for just four months of work in 2024, which is the biggest CEO-to-worker pay gap in the country and 6,666 times the average barista’s salary," organizers noted.

"For over six months, Starbucks has stonewalled union baristas by refusing to put forth new proposals to address their core demands."