Starbucks' unionized workers angry as corporate imposes strict new dress code for baristas

On Monday, Starbucks announced that the company would be imposing a stricter dress code for its baristas, requiring them to wear a solid black shirt under their green aprons, a move that has been met with both praise and anger, particularly from its leftist unionized employees. Starbucks said the new dress code is intended to create a sense of familiarity for its customers as the coffee company works to reestablish a more welcoming experience in its stores. The changes will go into effect on May 12.

Starbucks said the company would give employees two free T-shirts. The shirts can be short or long-sleeved and collared or collarless but must be solid black. Additionally, employees will be required to wear khaki, black, or blue denim bottoms, according to a memo posted on its website.

"Simplified color options highlight our iconic green apron and create a sense of familiarity for our customers, no matter which store they visit across North America," the company said in the memo. "As we continue working to create a warm, welcoming environment that invites customers in, showcases our great coffee, and provides a comfortable place to sit and stay, our green apron partners have played a big role in bringing it all to life."

"By updating our dress code, we can deliver a more consistent coffeehouse experience that will also bring simpler and clearer guidance to our partners, which means they can focus on what matters most, crafting great beverages and fostering connections with customers," the company said.

The new guidelines are being issued nearly ten years after Starbucks relaxed its dress code in 2016, which allowed employees to have nearly full autonomy over the colors and patterns they wore underneath their aprons.

Some baristas have welcomed the new dress code, expressing satisfaction with a more uniform look.

"This is a game changer for me and my team. I can spend less energy on enforcing the current complex and interpretive dress code, and now I can focus my attention on what's most important, connecting with our regulars, developing and supporting my partners, and having fun," a Tennessee barista named William told The Post Millennial in a statement.

Fionn, a barista who works at a Starbucks in Oregon City, shared a similar sentiment. She added: "I think our teams are going to look so much more professional...Though the dress code will come with some resistance, it will come with many positives including easier dress code enforcement."

However, not all Starbucks employees are excited about the shift.
 

The change has been met with protest by Starbucks Workers United, a leftist labor group that has organized employees at over 550 of Starbucks' 10,000 US stores. The union informed the company last week that it would not be complying with the new dress code until a labor agreement is reached. Jasmine Leli, a Starbucks barista and union bargaining delegate, said the company should focus on paying higher wages instead of forcing employees to purchase new clothing items.

"Instead of addressing the most pressing issues baristas have been raising for years, Starbucks is prioritizing a limiting dress code that won't improve the company's operation," Leli said in a statement issued to the Associated Press. "They're forcing baristas to pay for new clothes when we're struggling as it is on Starbucks wages and without guaranteed hours."

Starbucks spokesperson Phil Gee discussed efforts the company has made with the union, telling The Post Millennial in a statement: "Since last April, Starbucks and Workers United have held more than nine bargaining sessions over 20 days and three mediation sessions over five days with a federal mediator. We've reached over thirty (30) meaningful agreements on hundreds of topics Workers United delegates told us were important to them. Starbucks remains committed to good faith bargaining to reach a framework for single store contracts for our partners represented by the union."

Since Starbucks stores began to unionize in 2021, several of the unionized locations have been permanently shuttered, particularly in progressive-run Seattle, where Starbucks' headquarters is located.