At 9 a.m. Thursday morning, at what’s usually a busy time of day for a coffee shop, the U-District Starbucks was locked up. Lights out, chairs on tables, and empty inside.

Outside, about 25 union baristas and their supporters lined the sidewalk. The same scene was playing out in Queen Anne (1144 Elliott Ave W), Portland, Chicago, Pittsburgh, New York City, and others. Thousands of employees at 40 stores nationwide are on strike after Starbucks went six months without offering new bargaining proposals, and more than 18 months after national contract bargaining began.

Cars honked as picketers chanted a remix of Chappell Roan’s HOT TO GO!, shouting, “H-O-T-T-O-G-O, union busting’s got to go!” They carried signs that read, “Don’t cross our picket line” and “No contract? No coffee!” Their mar

See Full Page