Pittsburgh and Chicago have joined the list of cities with Starbucks employees on strike. Sit-ins, walk-outs, and strikes have occurred at over 100 Starbucks stores across the U.S. in the last week alone. Workers have been advocating for fair union contracts, living wages, and stronger protections, among other issues. The U.S. government hasn’t been shy about union-busting before, and Donald Trump is proving to be no exception. The police reportedly made arrests at multiple Starbucks strike locations ahead of the corporation’s annual shareholder’s meeting on Wednesday. Other cities striking on Tuesday reportedly included Eaton, St. Louis, and Seattle.
Starbucks Strike in Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Beyond
The arrests of Starbucks employees in Pittsburgh and beyond follow a bleak trend. Cops defending property and corporate interests over people is the American default. While it’s not surprising that the government met civil disobedience with arrests, it’s no less unjust. Starbucks workers have kept striking, and their supporters have maintained their protest, despite the recent arrests. Even so, the more emboldened corporations feel to suppress workers at the end of a police baton, the more such incidents will occur.
TikTok, Reddit, and other parts of social media have been abuzz with talk of further strikes and protests. A TikTok about the Starbucks strike by u/sbworkersunited garnered numerous comments in support of the employees. As one commenter said, “this is what EVERYONE should be doing right now. it’s time to get organized and get what’s ours as workers ✊🔥 [sic]” Another commenter pointed out one more absurdity, saying,
Love how we’re paying cops to protect cybertrucks and arrest striking workers [sic]
Starbucks workers have fought for their union for years. The results of those negotiations are obvious as employees across the U.S. take to the streets to demand more protections and better treatment. Until Starbucks bows to worker demands, strikes are all but destined to continue.
