Will Starbucks staff strikes hit turnaround plans?

Starbucks has been working hard to bring back customers, promising faster service and a return to its coffeehouse roots, with ceramic mugs and hand-written notes. But though sales show signs of perking up, the company is still wrestling with a years-long labour fight that threatens to hamper its turnaround.

Picket lines could greet customers collecting their morning latte at some US stores on Thursday, as the company faces another strike by unionised baristas, calling for better pay and increased staffing.

The walkout, expected to affect stores in at least 25 cities, is the third major strike to hit the company in the US since the union, Starbucks Workers United, launched four years ago. Baristas and their union say the new turnaround policies have only added to their workload.

Starbucks says it does not expect the strike to disrupt operations at the « vast majority » of its more than 10,000 company-operated stores in the US. In recent years the brand has faced consumer boycotts, a wave of new competitors and a customer backlash over high prices, as well as turmoil in its leadership ranks.

The arrival last year of new chief executive Brian Niccol, a veteran of successful turnarounds at Chipotle and Taco Bell, raised hopes he could do the same for Starbucks.

He quickly embarked on changes, part of what he called his « Back to Starbucks » strategy. He banned non-customers from bathrooms, enforced a stricter dress code for staff and re-introduced comfy seating that he said would help restore the chain’s appeal.

The new strategy has been accompanied by hundreds of store closures, thousands of layoffs and the sale of a 60% stake in its China business, and labour tensions have continued to fester.

« Any agreement needs to reflect the reality that Starbucks already offers the best job in retail, » Jaci Anderson, a spokesperson for Starbucks said, pointing to low staff turnover rates, and pay and benefits, that the company says add up to an average hourly wage of $30.

Danielle Kaye & Natalie Sherman, bbc.com, 12 November 2025