Starbucks Workers Urge Customers to Delete App Amid Ongoing Strike

Unionized Starbucks baristas, engaged in a strike since November 13, 2025, are urging customers to delete the company's mobile app to support their push for a first union contract. Starbucks Workers United, representing approximately 11,000 baristas across 576 U.S. stores, continues to advocate for livable wages, stable hours, and an end to alleged union-busting practices.

"We baristas are still fighting for a fair contract, and this fight is active and ongoing," said KC Ihekwaba, a barista in Lafayette, Colorado. "Our fire for change is still burning. Our spirits still strong."

The strike, which began as an unfair labor practice protest, has seen about 1,000 baristas across nearly 50 stores participating. In December, the union adjusted its strategy, allowing most stores to return to work while maintaining a rotational strike involving several hundred to 1,000 workers, aiming to alleviate financial burdens on employees and focus on increasing unionized stores.

During a recent solidarity call, barista Christi Gomoljak announced the "Delete the App" campaign, encouraging customers to remove the Starbucks mobile app until a fair contract is achieved. "We are calling on Starbucks customers everywhere to delete the Starbucks mobile app off your phone," Gomoljak stated. "When baristas get a fair contract, you can reload the app on your phone and then finally, use any gift cards that you might have gotten from the holidays."

Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, expressed support for the baristas, emphasizing the broader implications of their struggle. "Supporting our baristas as they take on one of the most powerful companies in the world... is an incredible way to make an impact," Shuler said. "This fight is about something way bigger than just coffee. It's about whether we as working people get to live with dignity in this world that we make possible."

Starbucks has downplayed the strike's impact, claiming that fewer than 1% of its stores were affected and that more than half continued operating or reopened shortly after the strike began. The company did not comment on the app deletion campaign. "The union has called for an unconditional return to work at nearly all of the coffeehouses on its strike list," said Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson. "We see this as a positive step and hope it signals a willingness to return to the bargaining table." Anderson added, "With more than 30 tentative agreements already in place, we're confident we can move quickly toward a fair contract – one that reflects that Starbucks offers the best job in retail, with pay and benefits averaging over $30 an hour for hourly partners."