River Ridge, LA – On December 11, Starbucks workers at the unionized store on River Ridge participated in the nationwide “Red Cup Rebellion” strike. This open-ended strike has expanded to over 180 stores across 130 cities, making it the longest work stoppage in Starbucks history.

The River Ridge Starbucks has been unionized since May of 2024. It is the only store in their district that is unionized and is an excellent example of strong rank-and-file militancy. The store also struck in 2024 during the national “Strikemas.” Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) and the company have been in negotiations for the first Starbucks contract since 2021.

“The company is completely stalling,” stated Rocky Palacios, a Starbucks barista and member of her store’s bargaining committee. “They keep telling us that what we have is good enough, and won’t come to the table with anything else,” said Palacios.

This year, it was discovered that Starbucks CEO Brian Niccols has the largest pay discrepancy between CEO and workers across all major companies. “Brian Niccols makes 6666 times more than the average Starbucks barista but isn’t even willing to give us a $1 raise,” said Palacios.

“We’re just looking for more hours, better take-home pay, and fair staffing,” said Laine Arendt. Arendt is a strong leader in the River Ridge store and recently spoke on Labor Note’s “Troublemakers School” panel. “We’re demanding that Starbucks come back to the table and bargain in good faith. Enough is enough, we will keep striking until we get our contract!” said Arendt.

The baristas were joined on the picket line by numerous community members. While they marched, they yelled “No contract, no coffee!” and “No workers, no Starbucks!” as cars drove by and honked in support.

Nick Heard, a former SBWU barista and his store’s bargaining delegate, joined the River Ridge baristas out on the picket line. Heard worked at one of three unionized stores in New Orleans. “Two months ago, we were one of three stores in the city to be shut down as they closed over 500 stores across the country. Two of the stores closed were unionized,” stated Heard. This follows a similar trend across the country in a blatant union-busting attack. This attack was a catalyst for the “Red Cup Rebellion” strike.

“We were only given two days of notice before we were out of a job,” said Heard. “Because I was a leader in the union at my store, I was denied a transfer to a different store and had my application rejected at another.”

Despite not working on the shop floor anymore, Heard has continued to show solidarity among union baristas. This sense of worker solidarity was seen all across the picket line. As SBWU barista Robin Lobel put it, “We’re fighting for a better workplace for everyone. If you have a job, we’re fighting for you too.”

The River Ridge Starbucks has won a lot through the power of their union. “We marched on the boss and got her to quit, and successfully got a barista’s job back after she was unfairly fired,” said Arendt. “This shows you the power of organizing.”

After picketing all morning, the baristas secured a victory by forcing the store to close at noon. Celebratory baristas chanted “When we fight, we win!”

#RiverRidgeLA #LA #Labor #Starbucks #SBWU

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