There is no announced end date for the strike, and organizers say more stores may join if a contract agreement isn’t reached.

The action has grown to over 25 cities and a distribution center, building on the initial Red Cup Day start on November 13, 2025.

Starbucks faces ongoing business pressures, including modest quarterly sales growth, rising coffee costs, and leadership reshuffles culminating in a broader restructuring labeled “Back to Starbucks.”

Of the 65 stores initially targeted, about 49 experienced disruption and 29 have since reopened, while Starbucks says roughly 99% of its 17,000 U.S. locations remained open.

Striking locations include Cleveland, Memphis, Springfield (Missouri), and Albany, New York, among others.

In the early days, most striking stores were forced to shut down, with staffing issues affecting fewer than 1% of locations and operations quickly resuming according to the company.

The company reported strong holiday performance, highlighting a record holiday launch in North America and its strongest Red Cup Day ever in history.

Picketing has occurred at the East Coast distribution center in York, Pennsylvania, though the company reported no disruptions there.

The strike has drawn broad political attention, with lawmakers urging resumption of negotiations and calls for boycotts from city mayors and others amid the walkout.

Union organizers warn the open-ended strike could become the largest and longest in the company’s history if progress stalls.

The strike against Starbucks began on Red Cup Day and has expanded across more than 25 cities, plus a distribution center, with protests citing stalled negotiations, higher pay, better staffing, and hundreds of unfair labor practice charges.

Approximately 550 of Starbucks’ 10,000 company-owned U.S. stores are unionized, with about 7,000 licensed locations in venues such as airports.