As we enter the height of pumpkin spice latte season, Starbucks is quietly continuing to crush unionization efforts, and its latest offense happened right here in Seattle.
Albany Halstead, a former Starbucks Reserve Roastery employee, was officially fired for a dress code violation. However, he believes that it had a lot more to do with his union involvement than what he was wearing.
“Of course having a distressed hem on my pants means that I can’t do a good job as a barista,” Halstead said sarcastically, “but it was more that I did not have a good relationship with my managers whatsoever, because I had been a very vocal barista, fighting really hard for my union baristas and nonunion baristas.”
In May 2025, Starbucks enforced a new, much stricter dress policy, which originally received backlash because many baristas had to spend their own money on new pants, shirts, and shoes so that they could continue working. Employees have filed lawsuits in both Illinois and Colorado, as the new policy violates state labor laws that require employers to reimburse employees for expenses that primarily benefit the employer.
But, as Halstead pointed out, the new policy has also created unique issues for Trans baristas.
“I know people at my store who were very outwardly Trans that were impacted negatively," Halstead said. “They started getting misgendered a lot more, and when we brought these issues to management, there was not any support at all.”
The dress code update is just one of many changes Brian Niccol made when he became the CEO in 2024, in an effort to bolster sales and improve the Starbucks atmosphere. At the Fast Company Innovation Festival on September 16, he emphasized that he wants to focus on providing exceptional service in order to retain customers, but baristas argue that having a handwritten message on cups won’t make up for the workers themselves being unhappy.
“To get this ‘back to Starbucks' vibe, the baristas are being overshadowed a lot and pushed to the background.” Halstead said. “It starts with the baristas that you have. There are a ton of really amazing, incredible baristas that work at Starbucks, especially in the Seattle area, and I really think it does a great disservice to Seattle itself that this company has totally monopolized the coffee market and at the same time is throwing away a lot of these baristas who are in Seattle that care really hard.”
Union benefits
Starbucks Workers United, the union representing the company’s employees across the country, has been fighting for a contract since 2021, when the first Starbucks unionized in Buffalo, NY. But when Niccol was announced as the new CEO just over a year ago, negotiations were halted. However, the number of unionized stores has only gone up, and current Starbucks employee Ari Bray has seen more people turn to the union because of the changes.
“Within the union, we have protections, and you’ve got your folks to stand with you with all of the weird punches the company is trying to throw at us,” Bray said. “People are seeking protection within the union because the policies are bogus. The union is there to protect everyone in their jobs.”
Although Halstead is no longer employed by Starbucks, he is still advocating for his former coworkers and fighting his termination.
“I’m fighting it crazy, crazy hard right now,” Halstead said, “and luckily, because I am a union-represented barista, I have all these really important protections that I wouldn't have the option to utilize if I was a nonunion barista.”
Historically, Starbucks has presented itself as a progressive company, providing pronoun pins and health insurance that includes gender-affirming care, but as the culture in America shifts toward conservatism, the union has become more and more necessary to make sure these benefits are enforced.
“There’s this façade about [Starbucks] being very pro-worker, very pro-Queer, but at the end of the day, they’re a multibillion-dollar international company, and they’re here to exploit people,” Bray said. “If that means exploiting Queer workers so that they can get liberals in the door because they think, ‘I’m doing a good thing by supporting Starbucks,’ then they’ll do it.”
Because of the high number of Queer employees at Starbucks, there are also a high number of unionized Queer people at Starbucks.
“Our entire union is super, super Queer, because this image that Starbucks presents is that it's a safe space for Queer workers. The biggest way that our union is protecting Queer and Trans workers is that we are working really hard for a contract, and we have very specific protections for Trans and Queer workers,” Halstead said.
Halstead and Bray are both encouraging people to sign the “No Contract, No Coffee” pledge organized by Starbucks Workers United to stay updated on the fight for a contract and to pledge to not cross the picket line when your local baristas are striking.
“We’re ready whenever Starbucks is,” Halstead said. “Whenever Starbucks decides that it wants to actually protect its workers and actually make [their] lives much better, we’re ready for them.”
The SGN reached out to Starbucks for comment on Halstead's dismissal and its new dress policy. The corporation replied with a statement that said it “respects the rights of our partners to freely associate and bargain collectively. No Starbucks partner has been or will be disciplined or separated for supporting, organizing, or otherwise engaging in lawful union activity.”
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