Starbucks baristas file ULPs over store closures

Starbucks baristas picketed Friday afternoon outside the Seattle Center as shareholders called for board shakeup over company’s failure to secure a contract with workers

SEATTLE, WA (March 23, 2026) — Baristas unionized with Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) picketed in central Seattle on Friday, protesting local cafe closures and the company’s refusal to guarantee worker relocation to other area stores, despite both past practice and public statements to the contrary.

Starbucks announced five closures of Seattle cafes in early March, including both union and non-union cafes. One store facing closure is the high-traffic University District location, which has been the site of strike picket lines since thousands of baristas across the U.S. walked out on unfair labor practice strike in November of 2025. In the company’s closure announcement, they promised to “either transfer employees to nearby locations or offer severance packages,” per reporting in the Seattle Times.

But with early April closure dates looming, the company isn’t fulfilling that public promise, per SBWU.

“For union stores, we’re filing ULP charges and bargaining with Starbucks regarding these closures,” SBWU stated on social media as workers walked out. “Starbucks should offer transfers to ALL workers who want to stay with the company, & severance to those who don’t, as has been past practice.”

Photo: MLK Labor

Labor allies joined workers on the picket line Friday outside the Seattle Center in the city’s Queen Anne neighborhood. And Friday’s picket came in the lead up to nationwide actions this past weekend, when supporters passed out flyers outside not-yet-union Starbucks locations, urging would-be customers to join the boycott and delete the Starbucks app off their phone.

Union baristas are pushing the company to return to the table at the end of the month ready to negotiate in good faith towards a first contract. SBWU recently sent a fresh contract proposal to management, with terms include a wage floor of $17 an hour, annual wage increases of 4%, resolution of hundreds of outstanding unfair labor practices, staffing commitments, a grievance process, and more.

Pressure is mounting on the company to finally settle a first contract with baristas. Last week, shareholders urged a board shakeup over the company’s failure to secure a collective bargaining agreement, publishing a letter to fellow shareholders encouraging them to vote against re-election of Directors Jørgen Vig Knudstorp and Beth Ford at the March 25 annual shareholders meeting. The letter outline three key failures impacting shareholder value, including failing to assess risks of poor labor relations, backsliding on labor relations oversight, and allowing a prolonged labor dispute endangering the company’s turnaround objectives.