Solidarity Statement in support of Starbucks workers

Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Graduate Employees Organization Local 6300

The Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) at UIUC, IFT/AFT Local 6300 stands in solidarity with the workers of Starbucks across the country engaging in a collective strike and with the workers of Urbana Starbucks in particular.

They will be on Strike for the Red Cup Rebellion starting at noon on November 15th to the end of the day on November 16th.

“Red Cup Day” is a promotional holiday event where customers are rewarded for their order with a reusable red Starbucks cup. Events like this lead to significantly more sales, built on the backs of overworked baristas which, last year, padded Starbucks’ revenue by an additional 14%. This past summer, Urbana Starbucks location #10636 was part of the recent groundswell of coffeehouses voting to organize their workplaces. Despite the legal obligation to meet their workers at the bargaining table, Starbucks has ignored nearly every organized store and implemented promotional events without sufficient staffing — all in flagrant violation of federal labor law. 

The Red Cup Day Rebellion is a powerful call for collective action among workers and their communities. Starbucks is betting and relying on its customers finding more value in a red reusable cup than in the lives and labor of our neighbors working the stores. When we stand with them, and don’t cross the picket line on November 15th-16th, we firmly reject Starbucks’ vision of exploitation and consumption over love and solidarity.

Please do not cross the picket line and consider joining a picket here in Urbana or at other stores across the nation. Keep up to date with the national strike and ongoing negotiations at Starbucks Workers United’s official site: https://sbworkersunited.org/red-cup-rebellion-2023

 In solidarity,

Graduate Employees’ Organization
809 S. 5th St., Geneva Room
Champaign, IL 61820
Email: geo@uigeo.org