WASHINGTON, D.C.—University of Washington (UW) Seattle students and Starbucks workers will rally on Sunday, January 7, at Lakeview Park to demand that UW President Ana Marie Cauce end the university’s contract with the coffee giant. During the rally, speakers will also amplify workers’ bargaining demands and share stories about what unions mean to the next generation of workers: college students.
The rally comes on the heels of the National Labor Relations Board finding Starbucks illegally closed 23 stores to stifle union organizing. The rally is organized by UW Students Against Starbucks, an independent student group that is pushing their university to cut ties with Starbucks as a result of the coffee giant’s failure to bargain in good faith with workers to address staffing, scheduling and other issues harming baristas.
EVENT DETAILS
WHO: Starbucks baristas
UW Washington (UW) – Seattle students
WHAT: Rally demanding the University of Washington cut ties with Starbucks
WHEN: Sunday, January 7 at 10:00 am PT
WHERE:
Lakeview Park
340 37th Ave E
Seattle, WA 98112
Corner of 37th Ave E & E Harrison St
LIVESTREAM: Students Against Starbucks will livestream the rally via Instagram: @studentsagainststarbucks
COLLEGE STUDENTS DEMAND UNION-BREWED COFFEE
Sunday’s actions are the latest in a national campaign in which college students – one of Starbucks’ key customer demographics – show solidarity with Starbucks workers seeking to form a union and bargain for a fair contract by pushing their universities to cut ties with the coffee giant until it comes to the table with workers in good faith.
On November 16, students at colleges across the country organized their own actions to support workers during the largest strike in Starbucks history on Red Cup Day – one of Starbucks’ busiest customer traffic days of the year. In May, the University of California Student Association passed a resolution calling on the California university system to stop doing business with Starbucks until the company agrees to negotiate in good faith with Starbucks Workers United and end its unprecedented union-busting campaign. Earlier in 2023, students at Cornell University successfully demanded that their university cut ties with Starbucks after the company closed all three of Ithaca’s stores – all of which had formed unions.Â
College and university students are one of Starbucks’ key customer demographics supporting their multi-billion dollar business. Studies show that the average college student spends about $63 or more a month on buying coffee.
SOURCE: University of Washington Students Against Starbucks press release
