Starbucks baristas are seeing red over a new black dress code, with more than 1,000 workers walking off the job at 75 locations nationwide on Friday.
The coffee giant’s new uniform policy, which took effect May 12, requires employees to wear solid black tops and either black, khaki or blue denim bottoms. The stricter dress code has become the latest flashpoint in ongoing tensions between the company and its increasingly vocal unionized workforce.
“Starbucks has lost its way,” said Maggie Carter, a barista and union organizer in Knoxville, Tennessee. “Instead of listening to baristas who make the Starbucks experience what it is, they are focused on all the wrong things, like implementing a restrictive new dress code.”
From Expression to Restriction
The new guidelines represent a significant narrowing from previous rules, which permitted workers to wear a broader palette of dark colors and even patterned shirts beneath their iconic green aprons. Under the updated policy, only solid black crewneck, collared, or button-up shirts are permitted.
Starbucks Workers United, which now represents workers at over 400 stores nationwide, argues the company should have brought uniform changes to the bargaining table.
“At a time when Starbucks is struggling to bring customers in the door, why choose to make our dress code stricter?” asked Michelle Eisen, a 10-year veteran barista from Buffalo. “They should be focusing on staffing and other key issues that actually impact customer experience.”
The timing has raised eyebrows. Starbucks recently reported disappointing sales figures in its latest earnings call, with customer traffic declining for the third consecutive quarter.
Out-of-Pocket Concerns
Beyond the principle of the matter, many baristas have practical concerns. Several workers who joined Friday’s walkout expressed frustration about having to purchase new clothing items specifically for work.
“I’m a college student working part-time. Now I need to spend money on clothes that fit this narrower dress code?” said Tyler Kemp, a barista in Seattle. “How is the color of our shirts going to get drinks out faster?”
That sentiment was echoed by others who questioned the company’s priorities amid operational challenges like chronically understaffed stores and increasingly complex drink orders leading to longer wait times.
Starbucks, for its part, maintains that dress code policies fall under management rights and that the updated guidelines help reinforce brand consistency while still allowing for some personal expression through accessories and hairstyles.
“We believe the updated dress code strikes the right balance between personal expression and the professional image our customers expect,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.
Brewing Tensions
This isn’t the first time clothing has caused conflict at the coffee chain. In 2020, Starbucks initially banned employees from wearing Black Lives Matter apparel before reversing course after public backlash.
The union movement at Starbucks has gained significant momentum since the first store in Buffalo voted to unionize in December 2021. Workers have cited issues ranging from scheduling practices to safety concerns as motivations for organizing.
As the afternoon rush approached at one striking location in Chicago, barista Devin Morris summed up the sentiment of many: “This isn’t really about the clothes. It’s about respect and having a voice in decisions that affect us every day. But yeah, it’s also about the clothes.”