Starbucks workers are striking because they don't like the new rules about what they can wear. The strike got bigger on Thursday.

Starbucks workers in the U.S. are protesting a new rule about what they can wear at work. More than 2,000 workers in 120 stores have stopped working since Sunday, says the Starbucks Workers United union.

From Monday, Starbucks has new rules about what its workers can wear under their green aprons. Now, if you work at Starbucks in the U.S. or Canada, you need to wear a plain black shirt and trousers or jeans that are khaki, black, or blue.

Before, baristas could wear more dark colors and shirts with patterns. Starbucks says the new rules will help people notice their green aprons and make customers feel more at home in their shops.

Starbucks Workers United, the group that speaks for workers in 570 of Starbucks' own shops in the U.S., said they should talk about the dress code together.

"Paige Summers, who manages shifts at a Starbucks in Hanover, Maryland, said that Starbucks is making mistakes. She believes they aren't listening to their baristas, who are important for creating a good experience. Instead, Starbucks is focusing on things that don't matter, like a new dress code that is too strict. Paige also said customers don't care about the colour of the baristas' clothes when 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 at work anymore. Starbucks said they would give each employee two free black T-shirts when they told them about the new rules for clothes at work.

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 that some shops closed for less than one 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 added that almost all of their stores are open and serving customers.

People who read the Associated Press and gave their opinions had different ideas about the dress code. Some said that Starbucks workers shouldn't complain too much because many shops tell their workers what to wear. Others said that Starbucks should try to make their drinks better and cheaper, and keep their workers happy, instead of caring about what they wear.

Maddie Mucklow works at a Starbucks in Seattle, and 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 and 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.