Latest news with #PaigeSummers
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Starbucks Is Beefing With Its Workers Over A New Dress Code
Starbucks is once again clashing with its workers — this time over the coffee chain's newly announced dress code. More than 2,000 baristas from over 100 stores have walked off the job since May 11 to protest the uniform requirements, according to the Starbucks Workers United union. Union members are furious that the company decided to impose a new dress code unilaterally — and frustrated that this comes as the corporate behemoth has yet to finalize a fair contract governing issues like wages and health benefits. Starbucks first unveiled the new dress code in a post on April 14, noting that the company would soon require staff to wear short or long-sleeve black shirts with khaki, black or blue bottoms to make the company's 'iconic green apron…shine.' That's a departure from past policy, which allowed employees to don a wider array of patterns and colors, and which had more flexibility on other fronts like shoes and piercings, the union says. Abiding by these requirements is costly, and the enforcement has been chaotic, some employees said. 'Starbucks is making us buy entirely new dress-code-compliant clothing,' Paige Summers, a Maryland-based shift supervisor who walked off on Monday, told HuffPost in a statement. 'Many of us can't afford a new wardrobe.' Starbucks said it would provide two company-branded shirts to each worker, though workers told USA Today that these have been slow to materialize. The walkouts, which involved baristas leaving their shifts midway through but returning the next day, are expected to continue into the weekend, Starbucks Workers United said. Starbucks, meanwhile, has dismissed the outcry as a distraction from broader negotiations the company and union are engaging in. 'While the union is focused on a simplified dress code, we're focused on providing the best job in retail with a wage and benefits package that averages more than $30 per hour for hourly partners,' Starbucks told HuffPost in a statement, adding that the protests involve a small fraction of the company's staff. 'It would be more productive if the union would put the same effort into coming back to the table to finalize a reasonable contract.' The walkouts over the new dress code add to a list of labor disputes the Seattle-headquartered chain has had with its workers. Starbucks and the union have been at an impasse after roughly a year of bargaining for a contract, with disagreements remaining on core issues, including an increase to the company's pay floor and policies for annual raises. 'Baristas are struggling to pay our bills and keep up with rising costs while [CEO Brian Niccol] made $800,000 a day in 2024. That's outrageous,' said barista Michelle Eisen when talks collapsed in April. This past December, Workers United filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing Starbucks of negotiating in bad faith. It's since expanded that complaint to include workers' concerns with the new dress code as well.
Epoch Times
16-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
More Than 2,000 Starbucks Baristas Go On Strike to Protest New Dress Code
A strike by Starbucks baristas protesting the company's new dress code grew Thursday. More than 2,000 Starbucks baristas at 120 U.S. stores have gone on strike since Sunday to protest the new dress code, according to Starbucks Workers United, a union representing the coffee giant's U.S. workers. Starbucks put new limits starting Monday on what its baristas can wear under their green aprons. The dress code requires employees at company-operated and licensed stores in the U.S. and Canada to wear a solid black shirt and khaki, black or blue denim bottoms. Under the previous dress code, baristas could wear a broader range of dark colors and patterned shirts. Starbucks said the new rules would make its green aprons stand out and create a sense of familiarity for customers as it tries to establish a warmer, more welcoming feeling in its stores. But Starbucks Workers United, the union that represents workers at 570 of Starbucks' 10,000 company-owned U.S. stores, said the dress code should be subject to collective bargaining. 'Starbucks has lost its way. Instead of listening to baristas who make the Starbucks experience what it is, they are focused on all the wrong things, like implementing a restrictive new dress code,' said Paige Summers, a Starbucks shift supervisor from Hanover, Maryland. 'Customers don't care what color our clothes are when they're waiting 30 minutes for a latte.' Related Stories 4/30/2025 4/15/2025 Summers and others also criticized the company for selling styles of Starbucks-branded clothing that employees no longer are allowed to wear to work on an internal website. Starbucks said it would give two free black T-shirts to each employee when it announced the new dress code. On Wednesday, Starbucks Workers Union said a total of 1,000 workers had staged walkouts at 75 U.S. stores. Starbucks said at the time that the strike was having a limited impact on its 10,000 company-operated U.S. stores. In some cases the strikes closed stores for less than an hour, the company said. 'It would be more productive if the union would put the same effort into coming back to the table that they're putting into protesting wearing black shirts to work,' Starbucks said in a statement. 'More than 99 percent of our stores are open today serving customers—and have been all week.' Associated Press readers who shared their opinions had mixed views of the dress code. Some said they didn't think Starbucks' baristas had much to complain about, noting that many retailers require their workers to dress a certain way. Others said they thought Starbucks should focus on improving the quality and prices of its beverages, and keeping workers happy instead of worrying about what its employees wear. Maddie Mucklow, who manages a Starbucks store in Seattle, said she's in favor of the new rules. 'I'll be honest, I think the dress code was a difficult change for the partners at my store,' Mucklow said. 'But the dress code gives us a more consistent boundary for how to show up best for each other while still expressing our individuality.' Starbucks Workers United has been unionizing U.S. stores since 2021. Starbucks and the union have yet to reach a contract agreement, despite agreeing to return to the bargaining table in February 2024. The union said this week that it filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging Starbucks' failure to bargain over the new dress code. By Dee-Ann Durbin
NBC News
16-05-2025
- Business
- NBC News
More than 2,000 Starbucks baristas go on strike to protest new dress code
A strike by Starbucks baristas protesting the company's new dress code grew Thursday. More than 2,000 Starbucks baristas at 120 U.S. stores have gone on strike since Sunday to protest the new dress code, according to Starbucks Workers United, a union representing the coffee giant's U.S. workers. Starbucks put new limits starting Monday on what its baristas can wear under their green aprons. The dress code requires employees at company-operated and licensed stores in the U.S. and Canada to wear a solid black shirt and khaki, black or blue denim bottoms. Under the previous dress code, baristas could wear a broader range of dark colors and patterned shirts. Starbucks said the new rules would make its green aprons stand out and create a sense of familiarity for customers as it tries to establish a warmer, more welcoming feeling in its stores. But Starbucks Workers United, the union that represents workers at 570 of Starbucks' 10,000 company-owned U.S. stores, said the dress code should be subject to collective bargaining. 'Starbucks has lost its way. Instead of listening to baristas who make the Starbucks experience what it is, they are focused on all the wrong things, like implementing a restrictive new dress code,' said Paige Summers, a Starbucks shift supervisor from Hanover, Maryland. 'Customers don't care what color our clothes are when they're waiting 30 minutes for a latte.' Summers and others also criticized the company for selling styles of Starbucks-branded clothing that employees no longer are allowed to wear to work on an internal website. Starbucks said it would give two free black T-shirts to each employee when it announced the new dress code. On Wednesday, Starbucks Workers Union said a total of 1,000 workers had staged walkouts at 75 U.S. stores. Starbucks said at the time that the strike was having a limited impact on its 10,000 company-operated U.S. stores. In some cases the strikes closed stores for less than an hour, the company said. 'It would be more productive if the union would put the same effort into coming back to the table that they're putting into protesting wearing black shirts to work,' Starbucks said in a statement. 'More than 99% of our stores are open today serving customers — and have been all week.' Starbucks Workers United has been unionizing U.S. stores since 2021. Starbucks and the union have yet to reach a contract agreement, despite agreeing to return to the bargaining table in February 2024. The union said this week that it filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging Starbucks' failure to bargain over the new dress code.
Japan Today
15-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
More than 2,000 Starbucks baristas go on strike in U.S. to protest new dress code
By DEE-ANN DURBIN A strike by Starbucks baristas protesting the company's new dress code grew Thursday. More than 2,000 Starbucks baristas at 120 U.S. stores have gone on strike since Sunday to protest the new dress code, according to Starbucks Workers United, a union representing the coffee giant's U.S. workers. Starbucks put new limits starting Monday on what its baristas can wear under their green aprons. The dress code requires employees at company-operated and licensed stores in the U.S. and Canada to wear a solid black shirt and khaki, black or blue denim bottoms. Under the previous dress code, baristas could wear a broader range of dark colors and patterned shirts. Starbucks said the new rules would make its green aprons stand out and create a sense of familiarity for customers as it tries to establish a warmer, more welcoming feeling in its stores. But Starbucks Workers United, the union that represents workers at 570 of Starbucks' 10,000 company-owned U.S. stores, said the dress code should be subject to collective bargaining. 'Starbucks has lost its way. Instead of listening to baristas who make the Starbucks experience what it is, they are focused on all the wrong things, like implementing a restrictive new dress code,' said Paige Summers, a Starbucks shift supervisor from Hanover, Maryland. 'Customers don't care what color our clothes are when they're waiting 30 minutes for a latte.' Summers and others also criticized the company for selling styles of Starbucks-branded clothing that employees no longer are allowed to wear to work on an internal website. Starbucks said it would give two free black T-shirts to each employee when it announced the new dress code. Starbucks said Wednesday that the strike was having a limited impact on its 10,000 company-operated U.S. stores. In some cases the strikes closed stores for less than an hour, the company said. 'It would be more productive if the union would put the same effort into coming back to the table that they're putting into protesting wearing black shirts to work," Starbucks said in a statement. "More than 99% of our stores are open today serving customers — and have been all week.' Associated Press readers who shared their opinions had mixed views of the dress code. Some said they didn't think Starbucks' baristas had much to complain about, noting that many retailers require their workers to dress a certain way. Others said they thought Starbucks should focus on improving the quality and prices of its beverages, and keeping workers happy instead of worrying about what its employees wear. Starbucks Workers United has been unionizing U.S. stores since 2021. Starbucks and the union have yet to reach a contract agreement, despite agreeing to return to the bargaining table in February 2024. The union said this week that it filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging Starbucks' failure to bargain over the new dress code. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
CBS News
15-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Starbucks workers are striking over the chain's new dress code
Starbucks' new dress code for baristas has sparked a strike at 75 U.S. stores, with more than 1,000 workers protesting the new policy, a union representing the coffee giant's workers said Wednesday. The new dress code, which went into effect on Monday, requires employees at company-operated and licensed stores in the U.S. and Canada to wear a solid black shirt and khaki, black or blue denim bottoms under their green apron. Under the previous dress code, baristas could wear a broader range of dark colors and patterned shirts. Starbucks said the new rules would make its green aprons stand out and create a sense of familiarity for customers as it tries to establish a warmer, more welcoming feeling in its stores. The new dress code comes as the company works on its "Back to Starbucks" mission, aimed at revitalizing its cafes and boosting sales. CEO Brian Niccol, who was brought on from Chipotle to lead the coffee chain last year, has said "there's a shared sense that we have drifted from our core." But Starbucks Workers United, the union that represents workers at 570 of Starbucks' 10,000 company-owned U.S. stores, said the dress code should be subject to collective bargaining. "Starbucks has lost its way. Instead of listening to baristas who make the Starbucks experience what it is, they are focused on all the wrong things, like implementing a restrictive new dress code," said Paige Summers, a Starbucks shift supervisor from Hanover, Maryland. "Customers don't care what color our clothes are when they're waiting 30 minutes for a latte." Most stores remain open Summers and others also criticized the company for selling styles of Starbucks-branded clothing that employees no longer are allowed to wear to work on an internal website. Starbucks said it would give two free black T-shirts to each employee when it announced the new dress code. Starbucks said Wednesday that the strike was having a limited impact on its 10,000 company-operated U.S. stores. "[B]y their own measure, less than 1% of stores have participated in their attempts to cause disruption," a Starbucks spokesperson told CBS News. The company added that more than 99% of its stores are open and serving customers. In some cases the strikes closed stores for less than an hour, the company noted. "It would be more productive if the union would put the same effort into coming back to the table to finalize a reasonable contract," Starbucks added. Starbucks Workers United has been unionizing U.S. stores since 2021. Starbucks and the union have yet to reach a contract agreement, despite agreeing to return to the bargaining table in February 2024. The union said this week that it filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging Starbucks' failure to bargain over the new dress code.
