Documentary follows Buffalo Starbucks workers’ union campaign
A new documentary, Baristas vs Billionaires, tells the story of Starbucks workers in Buffalo, New York, who launched a union-organising campaign in 2021, and the company's fierce response, including intervention by billionaire founder Howard Schultz. Director Mark Mori, a former steelworker and union member, says he was drawn to the project by parallels between the young baristas and previous generations of Rust Belt workers whose jobs and pensions vanished with the decline of US manufacturing, calling their fight "the revenge of the Rust belt". The film, narrated by Susan Sarandon with Alec Baldwin as a contributing producer, is currently shown only at scheduled screenings while a wider distribution deal is negotiated.
The release comes as the dispute between Starbucks and its workers intensifies: Starbucks Workers United began a boycott on 25 August after failing to secure a first contract with the company, despite more than 700 stores having voted to unionise since 2021. The union is demanding a $17-an-hour minimum wage, better staffing and scheduling, and stronger workplace protections, alongside resolution of outstanding unfair labour practice cases. Administrative law judges and the National Labor Relations Board have found Starbucks committed over 500 labour law violations, with hundreds of complaints still unresolved; Starbucks did not directly address the film or boycott but pointed to its pay and benefits.
- New documentary chronicles Starbucks workers' Buffalo union drive since 2021
- Director likens baristas to Rust Belt workers hit by deindustrialisation
- Coincides with union boycott and 500+ labour law violation findings against Starbucks
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In the United States, workers can vote to form a union to bargain collectively with their employer over pay and working conditions. Starbucks Workers United is the union representing workers at shops that have voted to organise, including locations in Buffalo, New York, where baristas began a campaign in 2021.
Starbucks is a major coffee chain founded by Howard Schultz, who later returned to lead the company. The dispute centres on workers seeking a first union contract and on the company’s response to organising; it sits within a longer decline in manufacturing jobs across parts of the US Rust Belt, where Buffalo is located. A union contract can set shared rules on wages, staffing and workplace protections, making the outcome significant for workers and the company.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Workers’ supporters argue that unionising is a reasonable way to gain bargaining power over wages, staffing, scheduling and workplace protections, particularly after many stores voted to organise and the first contract remains unsettled. They point to labour-board findings and unresolved complaints as grounds for stronger safeguards, and see the campaign as part of a broader effort to protect workers’ livelihoods.
The case against
Those wary of the union campaign may argue that Starbucks should be able to address pay and benefits directly with employees, and that unionisation or a boycott can strain workplace relations and disrupt stores without guaranteeing better outcomes. They may also regard the company’s existing compensation and benefits as relevant to judging whether the union’s demands are warranted, while insisting that disputed complaints be resolved through the proper process.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “‘Revenge of the Rust belt’: Starbucks film-maker on Baristas vs Billionaires”.