Starbucks workers surpass 80 days on national ULP strike

Baristas are urging customers to delete the Starbucks app to support their fight for a fair first contract

SEATTLE, WA (February 10, 2026) — Starbucks workers across dozens of cities, including Seattle, have been on strike for more than 80 days, taking action to win a first contract with a company accused of hundreds of unfair labor practices. Citing bad-faith bargaining, unsafe working conditions, and patterns of mistreatment by management, workers have maintained strike lines across the U.S. throughout the winter months, braving the elements to secure a first contract.

It would cost Starbucks only one day of sales to settle a contract, per baristas’ union, Starbucks Workers United. And yet, the company has continued to stonewall workers. In an escalation of their public pressure campaign, baristas are urging customers to delete the Starbucks app of their phone, showing the company that until they reach a deal with the workers, customers are committing to honoring their pledge of “No Contract, No Coffee.”

Safety concerns have only grown in recent weeks, as Starbucks Corporate has refused to deny ICE agents entry to stores in Minnesota without a judicial warrant, an action many local businesses have taken as an immigration enforcement surge has seen Minneapolis and surrounding areas inundated with masked federal agents. With ample documentation that federal agents are reacting violently towards civilians exercising their legal rights, baristas see Starbuck’s unwillingness to consider becoming a fourth amendment workplace as actively dangerous for both workers and customers.

Starbucks workers and allies rallied in front of Starbucks corporate headquarters in Seattle in December 2025.

There’s another layer to that frustration: CEO Brian Nicoll uses a private jet on the company’s dime for both personal and work travel, a move the company claims is intended to protect Niccol’s safety. Business Insider reported in late January that Niccol’s $250,000 cap on private travel expenses has also been waived, raising questions about how much of the profits baristas generate for the company are used to fund Niccol’s personal life. Per a Minnesota barista:

“If Starbucks can afford to protect its CEO, Brian Niccol, from commercial air travel they can afford to speak up against these atrocities and settle a contract for baristas across the country.”

As Starbucks baristas continue to organize stores and grow the ranks of Starbucks Workers United to more than 12,000 members, workers are calling on customers and labor allies to help them keep the pressure on corporate for a fair contract.

TAKE A STAND: Support the workers by…

1. Deleting the Starbucks app off your phone. Once it’s gone, add your name here to show the company you stand with the workers
2. Joining a picket line near you: Seattle picket | Other locations
3. Donating to the workers’ strike fund
4. Share the No Contract, No Coffee pledge with your friends and family, encouraging everyone you know to refuse to purchase any Starbucks products until the company settles a fair contract with baristas.