Over 2,000 Starbucks baristas walk out to protest new ‘conservative’ dress rules: reports

It is also making a new line of company-branded t-shirts available to baristas, who will receive two at no cost.

‘Conservative dress code’

But Starbucks Workers United said the new “conservative dress code” is restricting the gender expression of employees.

“This new dress code hurts partners. Starbucks workers are racially diverse, disabled, queer, and trans,” the union said in a statement in April. “We need a dress code that allows us to show up as our full selves at work.”

In a later statement, the union said they are not just protesting over a shirt colour, claiming that the company made a big decision without bargaining with them.

“They refuse to staff our stores properly, give guaranteed hours to workers, pay us a living wage, or provide stipends to pay for this arbitrary dress code,” the union said.