‘No contract, no coffee’: Why Zohran Mamdani is urging people to boycott Starbucks — all you need to know

New York City’s Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Friday urged supporters to boycott Starbucks in solidarity with striking union baristas. He has asked people to avoid the coffee chain until the nationwide walkout ends."Starbucks workers across the country are on an Unfair Labor Practices strike, fighting for a fair contract. While workers are on strike, I won’t be buying any Starbucks, and I’m asking you to join us. Together, we can send a powerful message: No contract, no coffee," Mamdani said through a post on X.

On the same day, Starbucks Workers United launched an open-ended strike dubbed the “Red Cup Rebellion.” The walkout coincided with Starbucks’ annual Red Cup Day, one of the company’s busiest events, when stores typically see surging footfall as customers line up for free reusable holiday cups.

Workers in more than 25 US cities joined the strike."As of today, Starbucks workers across the country are officially ON STRIKE," the union wrote through a post on social media. "And we're prepared for this to become the biggest and longest ULP strike in Starbucks history. Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX."Starbucks Workers United, which represents about 9,000 of the company’s baristas, says Starbucks has refused to negotiate and warns the strike could grow if contract talks don’t move forward.

Starbucks rejects that claim, saying the union’s demands are unreasonable and arguing it already offers strong pay and benefits, averaging $19 an hour and more than $30 with benefits included.Workers United says it has filed more than 1,000 unfair labor practice charges against Starbucks with the National Labor Relations Board.This is the union’s fourth strike since 2023 and the third since Brian Niccol became CEO in 2024.Last year, a strike during the “Red Cup Day” event forced about 60 stores to temporarily close, according to the company.Starbucks has also drawn criticism for recently closing hundreds of stores nationwide, including 59 unionized locations, with only a few days’ notice, as cited by the New York Post.