Zohran Mamdani declares his support for Starbucks workers going on strike for fairer working contracts
New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani called for a boycott of coffee chain Starbucks as he urged his followers to do the same. The call comes as workers for the coffee giant go on a nationwide strike.
Mamdani took to X to weigh in on a post by the Starbucks Workers United account, which announced on 13 November that its workers are officially going on strike all over the country. New York City's democratic socialist mayor-elect declared his support and announced that he also plans to join in the boycott of the drink until the workers receive better contracts.
'Starbucks workers across the country are on an Unfair Labour Practices strike, fighting for a fair contract,' shared Mamdani. 'As workers 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 is known for being pro-union, and this post by the incoming New York City Mayor, according to Business Insider, may be a preview of how he plans to wield his political influence.
The boycott comes at a time when Starbucks workers in over 25 cities in the US went on strike on Thursday. It coincided with 'Red Cup Day', a day when the coffee chain releases its holiday-themed cups to customers. However, Starbucks said that 99.9% of its stores remain open.
Starbucks Workers United, which represents over 9,000 workers, has accused the coffee chain of a refusal to negotiate for better working contracts. The organisation has previously warned that it may expand its strikes if no progress is made in negotiations. This also marks the fourth strike organised by the union against Starbucks since 2023, and the third strike since Brian Niccol became the head of Starbucks in 2024.
While talks between Starbucks and the union seemed promising in February, it eventually fell through a few months later. The organisation has also filed over 1000 charges against Starbucks for alleged unfair labour practices to the US National Labour Relations Board.
The board has long accused Starbucks of utilising anti-union tactics, such as closing stores and firing workers who join the strikes. Starbucks has since denied such claims.
This is not the first time Starbucks workers have gone on strike during the store's Red Cup Day. In 2024, workers went on strike during the same event, leading to the temporary closure of 60 stores. Since Niccol's takeover as the new CEO, workers have also criticised his efforts, such as announcing that he will be purchasing over 200,000 markers for baristas to doodle friendly messages on the coffee cups.
But the workers were against the move, saying that it would be time-consuming and may be misinterpreted by customers.
During his campaign, Mamdani pledged to make bus rides in the city free for everyone. However, New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul may not agree with the pledge. Speaking to reporters on 8 November, Hochul said that she 'cannot set forth a plan right now that takes money out of a system that relies on the fares of the buses and the subways.'
Hochul was speaking on the last day of an annual conference in Puerto Rico at the time when she weighed in on Mamdani's campaign pledge. However, Hochul suggested that there may be a path to make bus rides more affordable rather than free.
On 8 October, Mamdani touted the idea of free bus rides, after citing that the city's buses were 'the slowest in the country.' To prove this, the then-mayoral candidate took a bus to the press conference about the proposal. The bus arrived 25 minutes late.
'Eight miles an hour,' Mamdani told NBC New York while riding the bus with a reporter and videographer. 'We could have this interview walking alongside it and still get there before the bus.'