The newly elected Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, joined forces with Senator Bernie Sanders on Monday to show solidarity with striking Starbucks employees in Park Slope.
These workers, from unionized Starbucks locations, have been on strike since last month, pushing for a contract that ensures improved working hours and increased wages.
“These are not demands born of greed—they are demands for dignity,” Mamdani expressed. “These workers are simply asking to be treated with the respect they deserve. They seek fair compensation that enables them to lead a dignified life.”
Sanders, a long-time ally of Mamdani, has supported his campaign that centers on populist and worker-oriented policies.
The union Starbucks Workers United represents over 12,000 baristas across more than 600 locations nationwide.
“Striking Starbucks employees are sending a clear message to this company that they are fed up with corporate greed and union-busting tactics,” Sanders declared on the picket line. “What we witness here is a reflection of a broader movement across the nation. We live in an economy where the wealthy have never had it so good.”
Also on Monday, Starbucks agreed to pay around $39 million to more than 15,000 New Yorkers to settle claims by the city that the company violated laws requiring it give workers predictable and stable schedules.
“It does not matter how big your business is or how much money your company makes, if you violate our workers’ rights, you will pay the price,” Mayor Adams said in a statement.
Sydney West, a Starbucks barista of five years, said employees face long commutes for minimum-wage pay and unpredictable, often short-staffed, working environments.
“We need workable conditions,” she said.
Starbucks did not immediately return a request for comment.
