Thursday saw the escalation of a strike initiated by Starbucks baristas, who are contesting the corporation's recently implemented dress code.

Starbucks Workers United, a union representing the coffee chain's U.S. employees, reports that over 2,000 baristas across 120 American stores have initiated strike action since Sunday, citing objections to the newly implemented dress code.

Effective Monday, Starbucks has instituted revised stipulations regarding apparel permissible beneath baristas' signature green aprons, mandating that employees in company-operated and licensed establishments across the U.S. and Canada adhere to a dress code comprising solid black shirts and khaki, black, or blue denim trousers.

The former dress code permitted baristas greater latitude in their choice of dark hues and patterned shirts; however, Starbucks contends that the revised regulations will accentuate their signature green aprons and cultivate a sense of cohesion for patrons, as the company endeavours to foster a more convivial atmosphere within its establishments.

Starbucks Workers United, the union representing employees in over half a thousand of Starbucks' ten thousand company-operated US locations, asserted that the dress code's stipulations ought to be incorporated into collective bargaining negotiations.

Paige Summers, a Starbucks shift supervisor from Hanover, Maryland, contends that the corporation has strayed from its core values, prioritizing inconsequential matters such as a stringent new dress code over the input of its baristas, who are instrumental in shaping the quintessential Starbucks experience; she argues that customers are unlikely to be concerned with employee attire when faced with protracted wait times for their beverages.

Summers and others also rebuked the company for offering Starbucks-branded apparel, styles now prohibited for employees, on an internal website, a move that contradicted their earlier announcement of providing two complimentary black T-shirts to each employee upon the implementation of the updated dress code.

The Starbucks Workers Union announced Wednesday that approximately 1,000 employees had participated in coordinated walkouts across 75 U.S. locations, while Starbucks maintained that the industrial action had a negligible effect on its operations, with some stores experiencing closures lasting under an hour.

Starbucks asserted that the union's energy would be better spent on returning to negotiations rather than focusing on symbolic protests like wearing black shirts to work, adding that the vast majority of their stores, exceeding 99%, remain open and operational, serving customers consistently throughout the week.

A survey of Associated Press readers revealed heterogeneous opinions regarding the dress code, with some arguing that Starbucks baristas' grievances were unsubstantiated, given the prevalence of mandatory dress codes in the retail sector, while others contended that Starbucks should prioritize beverage quality and pricing, alongside employee well-being, over sartorial regulations.

Maddie Mucklow, a Starbucks store manager in Seattle, voiced her support for the recently instated regulations.

Mucklow conceded that the revised dress code presented an initial challenge for her store's associates, yet she asserted it fostered a more unified framework for professional presentation, simultaneously accommodating individual expression.

Since 2021, Starbucks Workers United has been engaged in a campaign to unionize Starbucks stores across the U.S.; however, despite a commitment to resume negotiations in February 2024, a collective bargaining agreement has yet to be reached.

This week, the union announced it had lodged a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, asserting Starbucks' refusal to negotiate the implementation of its revised dress code.