West Campus Starbucks where students are being more cautious about how often they are supporting the company due to strikes and unfair working conditions. © 2025 Sophia McVige
AUDIO TRANSCRIPT: Starbucks baristas go on strike on “Red Cup Day,” one of the company’s busiest days of the year
Sophia McVige: On Nov. 13th, Starbucks baristas went on strike. Tess Sorrels, a barista from Buffalo, New York, where the problems began spoke about what caused her store to unionize before the strike.
Tess Sorrels: So I think it was more the treatment, and how big of a corporation it is to be not respecting the workers who work for you.
McVige: The strikes are also impacting how often Syracuse locals like Kami Bremer go to Starbucks.
Kami Bremer: I do think with the strikes going on it makes me more aware of the working conditions. It maybe makes me a little bit more concious of how much I’m going, and just making sure they are getting treated better.
McVige: Starbucks says it expects that it will be quote the largest, longest strike in company history. Sophia McVige, NCC News
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)– This “Red Cup Day,” over 1,000 Starbucks workers nationwide participated in a strike. Red Cup Day is when Starbucks disributes free reusable red cups with any purchased holiday drink, and it is often one of the busiest days of the year for the company. Baristas are advocating for higher wages, benefits and more. They began unionizing in Buffalo, New York back in 2021. Since then, the problems have only grown leading to strikes, but accoring to Starbucks this one may be the “largest, longest strike in company history.”
“I think it was more treatment, and how big of a corporation it is to be not respecting the workers who work for you,” said Tess Sorrels, a barista from Buffalo, New York.
Sorrels joined her store’s union due to poor treatment. She explains that Starbucks hires managers who are underqualified. The store asks her to work long hours very last minute and lacks organization. The union hopes that the company listens to its demands in response to this strike, in order to fix there issues. Many CNY locals are thinking twice when giving Starbucks their business this holiday season.
“I do think with the strikes going on, it makes me more aware of the working conidtions. It maybe makes me a little more concious of how much I’m going and making sure they are getting treated better,” said Syracuse University student Kami Bremer.
While a majority of Starbucks stores remain open during the strike, some were forced to temporarily shut down on Red Cup Day due to a lack of staff.