Starbucks workers protested the new dress code, and the strike got bigger on Thursday.

Starbucks workers in the U.S. have stopped working at over 100 shops since Sunday because they don't like the new rules about what they have to wear, says a group that represents them.

From Monday, Starbucks has new rules about what its baristas can wear under their green aprons. Now, workers in the U.S. and Canada must wear a plain black shirt and trousers or jeans in khaki, black, or blue.

Before, baristas could wear more dark colors and shirts with patterns. Starbucks says the new rules will help people see their green aprons better. This will make customers feel more comfortable in their stores.

But the union for Starbucks workers said they should talk about the dress code together, as they represent workers in many Starbucks stores in the U.S.

"Paige Summers, who works as a supervisor at Starbucks in Hanover, Maryland, said that Starbucks is doing the wrong things. She thinks they should listen to the baristas who make Starbucks special. Instead, they are busy with things like a new dress code that is too strict. She also said customers don't mind what colour clothes the baristas wear if they have to wait a long time for their coffee."

Some people said the company was wrong to sell Starbucks clothes online that employees can't wear to work anymore. Starbucks said they would give each worker two free black T-shirts when they told them about the new rules for clothing.

On Wednesday, the Starbucks Workers Union said that 1,000 workers stopped working at 75 shops in the U.S. Starbucks said that the strike didn't affect many of its 10,000 shops in the U.S. They also said some shops closed for less than an hour because of the strikes.

Starbucks said it would be better if the union tried to talk to them instead of protesting by wearing black shirts. They also said that most of their shops (more than 99%) are open and serving customers.

People who read the Associated Press had different ideas about the Starbucks dress code. Some people said that Starbucks workers shouldn't complain, because many shops tell their workers what to wear. Other people thought Starbucks should try to make their drinks better and cheaper, and keep their workers happy, instead of thinking about their clothes.

Maddie Mucklow works at a Starbucks in Seattle. She likes the new rules.

Mucklow said, "To be honest, the new dress code was hard for the people I work with. But it helps us know how to dress well for each other, and still show who we are."

Since 2021, workers at Starbucks in the U.S. have been joining a union called Starbucks Workers United. Starbucks and the union have not made an agreement yet, even though they said they would talk again in February 2024.

This week, the union said they complained to the National Labor Relations Board, saying Starbucks didn't discuss the new dress code with them.