Starbucks Is Beefing With Its Workers Over A New Dress Code

Starbucks is once again clashing with its workers — this time over the coffee chain’s newly announced dress code.

More than 2,000 baristas from over 100 stores have walked off the job since May 11 to protest the uniform requirements, according to the Starbucks Workers United union.

Union members are furious that the company decided to impose a new dress code unilaterally — and frustrated that this comes as the corporate behemoth has yet to finalize a fair contract governing issues like wages and health benefits.

Starbucks first unveiled the new dress code in a post on April 14, noting that the company would soon require staff to wear short or long-sleeve black shirts with khaki, black or blue bottoms to make the company’s “iconic green apron…shine.” That’s a departure from past policy, which allowed employees to don a wider array of patterns and colors, and which had more flexibility on other fronts like shoes and piercings, the union says.

Abiding by these requirements is costly, and the enforcement has been chaotic, some employees said.