Thursday saw the escalation of a strike by Starbucks baristas, who were demonstrating against the company's recently implemented dress code.

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

Effective Monday, Starbucks implemented revised dress code stipulations, restricting baristas' attire beneath their signature green aprons at company-operated and licensed locations across the U.S. and Canada to solid black tops and khaki, black, or dark-wash denim bottoms.

The prior dress code permitted baristas greater latitude in their attire, encompassing a wider spectrum of dark hues and patterned shirts; however, Starbucks contends that the revised regulations, by accentuating their signature green aprons, will foster enhanced brand recognition and cultivate a more inviting atmosphere within their establishments, thereby enriching the customer experience.

However, Starbucks Workers United, the union representing employees at 570 of Starbucks' 10,000 company-operated stores in the US, asserted that modifications to the dress code ought to be a matter for collective bargaining.

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 insights of its baristas, who are integral to the Starbucks experience; she posits that customers are unlikely to be concerned with employee attire while enduring protracted wait times for their beverages.

Summers and others further censured the company for offering Starbucks-branded apparel, mirroring attire no longer sanctioned for employee wear, on an internal website, a move exacerbated by the fact that Starbucks had pledged only two complimentary black T-shirts per employee upon the dress code's unveiling.

The Starbucks Workers Union announced Wednesday that walkouts involving approximately 1,000 employees had occurred at 75 stores across the U.S., while Starbucks countered that the industrial action had a negligible effect on its 10,000 company-operated locations nationwide, adding that some stores experienced closures lasting under an hour.

In a statement, Starbucks asserted that the union's energy would be better directed toward resuming negotiations rather than staging protests, such as wearing black shirts to work, adding that over 99% of their stores remain open and operational, serving customers consistently throughout the week.

Reader commentary submitted to the Associated Press revealed divergent perspectives on the dress code, with some arguing that Starbucks baristas' concerns were overstated, given the prevalence of dress codes in the retail sector, while others contended that Starbucks should prioritize improvements to beverage quality and pricing, as well as employee satisfaction, rather than fixating on attire.

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

Mucklow conceded that the revised dress code presented initial challenges for store partners, yet asserted it ultimately fostered a more unified and mutually respectful environment, simultaneously allowing for individual expression.

Since 2021, Starbucks Workers United has been orchestrating unionization efforts across U.S. Starbucks locations; however, despite a commitment to resume negotiations in February 2024, a ratified contract agreement between Starbucks and the union remains elusive.

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