Same Work, Different Pay: Why Starbucks Workers Are Calling for a Strike and Boycott This Holiday Season
Starbucks likes to call its employees “partners,” but partners don’t devalue one another’s work. Partners don’t treat the same job as worth less simply because it happens in a different zip code. Yet that’s exactly what Starbucks’ variable pay structure does—it compensates workers differently from store to store, even when their responsibilities are identical.
Starbucks workers do the same work everywhere, but they are not paid the same. The company’s pay scale changes depending on store location, not on skill, seniority, or contribution. That inconsistency doesn’t just feel unfair — it exposes a broader pattern of corporate decision-making that undervalues the very people who make the company run.
Starbucks often defends these discrepancies by pointing to regional cost-of-living differences. But cost of living doesn’t change the value of labor. A latte made in Buffalo doesn’t take less skill, training, or hustle than one made in Seattle. The emotional labor of customer service doesn’t get easier in cheaper cities. The holiday rush doesn’t slow down because rent is lower. The work is the same. The standards are the same. The expectations are the same. The pay is not.
"Cost of living does not change the value of labor."
When a corporation can assign different values to identical work, it creates a system where workers are easier to divide — and therefore easier to ignore. That’s why so many Starbucks employees have turned to unionizing: not out of hostility, but out of necessity. They want consistency. They want fairness. They want a say in how their labor is valued. And they have every right to demand it.
This year, workers are taking a stand. The union has called for a strike and a public boycott from December 18–25, a period when Starbucks leans heavily on holiday sales and seasonal promotions. It’s a powerful moment to remind the company that workers are not a line item — they are the foundation.
Supporting the strike and boycott is about more than this one company. It’s about setting a standard for how workers in any industry should be treated. When people performing the same job are paid fairly and consistently, it strengthens everyone — workers, communities, and even businesses that value stability and long-term trust.
If Starbucks truly wants to honor its “partners,” it can start by valuing their work equally. Until then, standing with the workers means refusing to look away. It means showing solidarity when it matters most. And this holiday season, that means supporting their call:
No Starbucks from December 18–25.
No holiday sales without holiday justice.
Same work, same wages — it’s that simple.
5 Ways You Can Support The Union Effort
1. Show up to the picket line and stand with us in solidarity. If you are interested in signing up for picket shifts, we would greatly appreciate it! We like to have fun on the picket line! I have a Google Form to view our picket schedule and sign up for shifts.
Starbucks Workers United Strike PICKET SHIFT Sign Up
2. Donate food to help workers have enough to eat while on strike. I have another Google Form for Food Donation Sign Up. There areLunch, Snacks/Drinks, and Dinner options divided up by day. If folks want to donate food, plan for 15 workers, or however many folks are able to do. Once folks sign up to donate, I will share more information such as food restrictions & allergies.
Starbucks Workers United Strike FOOD DONATION Sign Up
3. Write a Letter to the Editor of the Union Bulletin. I have a template to use (UB’s limit is 200 words). The goal here is to raise awareness that there is a union Starbucks in town, gain more media attention and educate our community on Starbucks corporates' nefarious behavior with our union.
4. Donate to our Regional Strike Fund. This money supplements our strike pay to help struggling baristas make ends meet since they will be missing work hours during the strike.
SBWU Regional Strike Fund
5. Sign our No Coffee No Contract Pledge and vow not to buy Starbucks while workers are on strike. Signing it not only helps us pressure the company, but will also get you hooked into our national communications so you can stay in the know. We call on our community, along with the broader progressive movement, to honor our picket line. With the backing of a progressive coalition, our strike can help ignite a larger movement to challenge the oligarchy and unchecked corporate greed.
—Tom Schmerer
