More than 1,000 workers at 65 Starbucks stores across the United States held a one-day strike Thursday to protest Starbucks’s campaign of union busting and its refusal to negotiate union contracts. The baristas held the action on “Red Cup Day,” typically one of Starbucks’ busiest days of the year. Starbucks Workers United calls the company one of the most egregious violators of U.S. labor law in modern history, with the National Labor Relations Board finding over 500 labor law violations; another 700 pending unfair labor practices charges have yet to be litigated. This is Rey Shao, a 23-year-old barista at a Starbucks store in Manhattan.

Rey Shao: “I’m putting in overtime every week just so I can afford my rent, so I can afford bills. It’s crazy that we’re working a full-time job, and I still can’t afford to pay the basic necessities I need to live. And meanwhile, our CEO is making $96 million, and for only four months of work. And meanwhile, our CEO is riding in a private jet, and I’m barely able to afford the MTA fare to go to work.”

On Thursday, New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani wrote online, “While workers are on strike, I won’t be buying any Starbucks, and I’m asking you to join us. Together, we can send a powerful message: No contract, no coffee.”