Business
Starbucks Workers United escalates strike during busy holiday season
One week into what baristas have threatened to make the “largest, longest” strike in Starbucks’ history, the Workers United union said it is adding more than two dozen new cities and stores to its strike count.
The union said Thursday it will now be striking at 95 stores in 65 cities, with some 2,000 baristas now engaged in the action. On Wednesday, baristas and allies also picketed and held a rally outside of the company’s distribution center in York, Pa. Starbucks said there were no disruptions to its operations in York.
Workers United said the majority of stores where strikes were held had to close down on the first day of the strike due to staffing issues, and the lack of workers impacted some 50 locations in the days to follow. Starbucks said stores that had issues were often able to reopen quickly and that less than 1% of its locations are experiencing disruption from the strike.
The strike has so far not appeared to dent foot traffic and sales, according to the company and data from Placer.ai. The location intelligence tracking firm’s data show foot traffic on Red Cup Day, when the strike was launched, was up 44.5% compared to the daily average between Jan. 1 and Nov. 14 this year.
In a memo to workers last week, CEO Brian Niccol touted the success of the holiday launch so far.
“Together, we set new records. Last Thursday’s Holiday launch was our biggest sales day ever in North America. Then yesterday, we had our strongest Reusable Red Cup day in company history,” the memo sent Friday said.
Starbucks workers walk a picket line as they go on strike outside a Starbucks store on Nov. 13, 2025 in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images
The union began organizing at Starbucks in 2021 and says it now represents more than 11,000 workers across more than 550 stores. This week, it said five non-union stores filed for union elections, including locations in the Baltimore, Md. area, Harrisonburg, Va., and Little Rock, Ark. The company last week told CNBC that the union only represents 9,500 workers.
Workers United is seeking new proposals that address its top issues to finalize a contract. Those include improved hours, higher wages and the resolution of hundreds of unfair labor practice charges levied against Starbucks. The two parties have not been in active negotiations to reach a contract after talks between them fell apart late last year. The strikes have not changed that fact so far.
Starbucks and the union entered into mediation in February, and hundreds of barista delegates voted down the economic package Starbucks proposed in April. Both sides have pointed blame at the other for failure to reach a bargaining agreement, and say they’re ready to negotiate.
The strike has threatened to hurt business during Starbucks’ busy holiday season, which typically provides a sales boost and will be key to the chain’s plan to turn around performance in the U.S. under Niccol. Starbucks broke a nearly two-year streak of same-store sales declines in its most recently reported quarter. Past strikes have impacted less than 1% of its stores, the company said.
Starbucks maintains it will be ready to serve customers across its stores this holiday season.
“As we’ve said, 99% of our 17,000 U.S. locations remain open and welcoming customers —including many the union publicly stated would strike but never closed or have since reopened,” Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson said in a statement regarding the strike escalation.
“Regardless of the union’s plans, we do not anticipate any meaningful disruption. When the union is ready to return to the bargaining table, we’re ready to talk,” Anderson said. “The facts are clear, Starbucks offers the best job in retail, with pay and benefits averaging $30 per hour for hourly partners. People choose to work here and stay here—our turnover is less than half the industry average, and we receive more than a million job applications every year.”
The firm was unable to cope during high demand, Ofwat says, leading to “immense stress” for customers.
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Middle East heat may ripple across India’s energy supply chain, flags Goldman Sachs – The Times of India
As tensions continue to heat up in the Middle East, concerns are raising about disruptions to one of the world’s most critical energy shipping routes, the Strait of Hormuz. Any disruption could significantly affect major oil-importing countries such as India, as the narrow Strait of Hormuz is central to global energy trade. The strait sees almost 20 million barrels of oil passing through each day, or about a fifth of the world’s consumption, pass through the route. The waterway also carries roughly 19% of global liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments, making it a crucial corridor for energy-importing economies.A recent report by Goldman Sachs has flagged early signs of stress in the region. The report warned that tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has already begun showing signs of disruption, with shipping firms, oil producers and insurers adopting a cautious approach following reports of damaged vessels in nearby waters.According to the firm, financial markets have already begun factoring in the geopolitical risk. Oil prices currently carry an estimated risk premium of $18-per-barrel, reflecting the potential market impact if energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz were disrupted for about a month.
Even is the oil facilities are not directly damaged, a shutdown of the shipping route could expose a significant portion of global supply. The report estimates that in an event of full closure, about 16 million barrels per day of oil flows could be affected, despite the availability of some pipeline routes designed to bypass the strait.And the risks are not limited to crude oil shipments with almost 80 million tonnes of LNG exports annually, much of it from Qatar, moving through the passage. Any prolonged disruption could tighten gas supply globally and potentially drive European benchmark gas prices back to levels seen during the 2022 energy crisis.
Asian economies stand among the most exposed to such disruptions. Major importers such as China, India, Japan and South Korea depend heavily on oil and LNG shipments that transit through the strategic corridor.While global oil inventories and spare production capacity could help cushion short-term shocks, the report warned that sustained disruption to Gulf shipping routes could trigger sharp volatility in global energy markets and push prices higher across oil, gas and refined fuel products.Market participants and governments are closely watching tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, along with diplomatic and military developments involving the United States, Iran and Gulf nations, to assess whether the current disruptions remain temporary or escalate into a broader energy supply shock.
KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange rallied on Thursday after Saudi Arabia assured Pakistan of facilitating crude oil shipments through the Red Sea port of Yanbu Port, easing concerns over potential fuel supply disruptions.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index climbed sharply during the trading session, rising 4,439.93 points (2.85%) to reach an intraday high of 160,217.14 points.
Market Recovery
Analysts attributed the market rebound to renewed institutional buying and improving investor sentiment after Saudi assurances on oil supplies.
Market expert Ahsan Mehanti, CEO of Arif Habib Commodities, said easing fuel supply concerns played a key role in the recovery.
He added that rising global crude prices, expectations of a new International Monetary Fund loan tranche for Pakistan, and positive economic indicators also boosted investor confidence.
Alternative Oil Route
Pakistan sought an alternative supply route after Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global oil transit corridor.
Federal Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik held talks with Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, requesting Saudi support for uninterrupted energy supplies.
Saudi authorities reportedly assured Pakistan that oil shipments could be routed through Yanbu, and one crude vessel has already been prepared for dispatch.
Global Oil Market Impact
Oil prices continued to rise amid tensions in the Middle East conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.
Brent crude: up 3.26% to $83.99 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate (WTI): up 3.70% to $77.42 per barrel
Energy markets remain volatile as shipping disruptions threaten supply through the Strait of Hormuz, a route that handles nearly 20% of global oil trade.
Analysts say the Saudi assurance helped calm fears about Pakistan’s energy supply chain, contributing to the strong recovery at the PSX.
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