Starbucks Workers Rally at Northwestern Demanding Boycott

About two dozen protesters marched through Northwestern's Evanston campus as part of a nationwide campus action against Starbucks.

Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Unions

Wide view of a weathered limestone archway in a leafy campus plaza, with a distant group of indistinct figures walking away over wet paving stones under overcast light. — About two dozen Starbucks Workers United protesters marched across Northwestern University's Evanston campus on Tuesday, delivering a demand that the school cut ties with Starbucks during the continuing boycott. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Starbucks Workers United rallied at Weber Arch on Northwestern University's Evanston campus, then marched to administrative offices and handed a demand letter to Jeremy Schenk, associate vice president for student affairs. The university demand was that Northwestern cut ties with Starbucks while the union continues its boycott.

Why it matters

The protest is aimed at a boycott that continues until a union contract is agreed to after years of deadlock in negotiations. The union represents about 5% of Starbucks U.S. partners, according to a Starbucks spokesperson, and the company does not expect any meaningful disruption from the actions.

The rally drew about two dozen participants and was one of over 40 campus actions nationwide on Thursday, according to the organizing account. Starbucks says the union represents roughly 5% of its U.S. partners, and the source does not report whether Northwestern intends to act on the demand.

The players

Starbucks Workers United

Starbucks Workers United is the union representing Starbucks employees in the United States, which organized the nationwide boycott campaign against the company.

Starbucks

Starbucks is a global coffee chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and is the target of the union's boycott and labor action.

The details

Protesters gathered at Weber Arch, then marched through campus to the administrative offices, where they delivered a demand letter. Workers are calling for better pay, higher staffing levels, more hours for new hires and stronger job protections.

Last November: a week-long strike at the Starbucks on Dempster Street in Evanston
Thursday, November 12, 2026: Northwestern rally and nationwide campus protests

Political Context

The campaign has moved from store-level walkouts to campus-wide pressure, extending the boycott to universities that host Starbucks locations. Starbucks has not indicated any change in its position, and the union's contract dispute remains the central sticking point.

Evanston residents and Northwestern students who buy coffee on campus may see the boycott affect the Norris University Center Starbucks, which is the only Starbucks on campus. The outcome of the union dispute will determine whether service and staffing conditions change at local locations.

The takeaway

Campus pressure is becoming a tool in labor fights, and the outcome will depend on whether universities act on demands to change their vendor relationships. Readers who buy from chains with union disputes can weigh how those disputes affect the workers who serve them.