Zohran Mamdani, the newly elected mayor of New York City, has publicly called on consumers to boycott Starbucks, citing solidarity with the baristas who are on strike across multiple U.S. locations. Mamdani’s message, shared to his more than one million followers on X, reads: “Starbucks workers across the country are on an Unfair Labor Practices strike, fighting for a fair contract. 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.”
The strike in question is being led by Starbucks Workers United and has already involved around 1,000 workers at some 65 stores across the country. The union warns that the action could expand to more than 500 stores if negotiations do not make progress.
The timing is significant: the boycott call coincided with Starbucks’ “Red Cup Day,” one of the company’s busiest events of the year. A disruption at that moment signals strategic intent to create pressure for a faster resolution.
For consumers, Mamdani’s stance puts a spotlight on the intersection of purchasing decisions and labor rights. It raises questions like: How much power do customer boycotts truly hold? What does solidarity mean when a high-profile public figure urges mass consumer action? And for Starbucks, the implications are more than symbolic reduced foot traffic or damage to brand perception could affect revenues, especially during a peak promotional period.
On the flip side, some critics point out that only a small percentage of Starbucks stores are unionized (around 9% according to Starbucks’ own figures), meaning the broader workforce and customer base might be indirectly affected even though the strike involves a minority of locations.
In short: Mamdani’s call to boycott Starbucks is more than a political headline — it embodies a larger labor movement moment where major corporations, unionized workers, consumer behavior and public figures intersect. Whether the boycott gains traction, how Starbucks responds, and whether the strike ends sooner because of this added pressure remain to be seen.
If you’re a coffee drinker: you’ll want to decide whether this is a cause you’ll support through your purchase decisions — and watch how the chain and its baristas navigate the coming days.
