Like most of my fellow classmates at UNC, I run on coffee. But no matter how much I need the caffeine to finish an essay or get through finals, I refuse to let my coffee purchase prop up Starbucks, a multi-billion dollar company that exploits its workers without remorse. 

Right now, thousands of Starbucks workers across the country are organizing in their workplaces, winning their unions, and demanding a seat at the table to ensure they’re respected, protected, and paid a living wage. These historic victories are happening in spite of the aggressive anti-worker stance Starbucks has taken against its own employees. And they’re inspiring a whole generation of students, like myself, to join in on the fight to build an economy that works for everyone, not just the ultra-wealthy.

Despite the progressive values it touts, Starbucks has long made it clear that the company could care less about its nearly 10,000 union workers. Instead of coming to the table with workers to settle a fair contract, the coffee giant has concentrated its efforts on deterring and even threatening its so-called “partners” from negotiating a contract that would help them build a better life

As a former Starbucks barista, I know from firsthand experience. I helped lead the union drive at my store to fight for a better workplace. But I soon realized this put a target on my back. Despite having worked for Starbucks for almost three years, I was denied a promotion that I knew I deserved, and my hours started getting cut unexpectedly. 

Then when I had to go on medical leave, they refused to rehire me once I was ready to work again, even though the Chapel Hill location was hiring. After working at Starbucks for so many years, they wouldn’t work with me to relocate my job to be near my education. I lost the income I relied on to pay rent and support my family. Starbucks likes to say their workers are a “family,” but family doesn’t abandon each other in times of need. 

Since Starbucks workers organized their first store in December 2021, the company has led a fierce illegal union-busting campaign against its employees, mostly young people—and often students, like myself—who are merely fighting for basic rights that would allow them to carry out their jobs in a safe and inclusive workplace. 

Even still, Starbucks workers haven’t backed down in their fight to reject the status quo and to boldly demand solutions to fixing a broken system that continues to benefit greedy corporations, like Starbucks, as their workers struggle to get by on low wages in often-hostile workplace conditions. To date, nearly 10,000 Starbucks workers have organized almost 400 stores, and this was all bravely done in the face of Starbucks’ relentless attacks, store closures and employee firings.

Securing a voice on the job and a seat at the table is the only way Starbucks workers can ensure they receive the pay they deserve and the guaranteed hours needed to live their lives with dignity. And why wouldn’t we want that for them? These baristas keep our communities connected and caffeinated—in other words, our economy depends on them. 

As one of Starbucks’ key customer demographics, college and university students have the power to tip the scales in workers’ favor. And we’re already seeing it happen as college students across the country continue to join in solidarity with Starbucks Workers United and call on their universities to cut ties with Starbucks until the company comes to the table with union workers in good faith. Just last week, college students at universities across the country escalated their fight to support Starbucks workers, leading the first-ever student-led nationwide day of action, urging our universities to hold the coffee giant accountable for its union busting and support Starbucks workers by stopping sales of Starbucks on campus, divesting all university-owned Starbucks stock, and making public statements in solidarity with union baristas. 

The uber-wealthy executives who run Starbucks may think they can bully employees fighting for their rights and get away with it, but, as the next generation of workers, my fellow classmates and I refuse to let that happen. Workers’ rights are central to building a future we want to see.

Students have long been powerful activists. We have played a crucial role in the fight for human rights, environmental justice, the anti-war movement from Vietnam to Gaza, and more. And we’ll continue to build upon this rich history in our fight to support workers’ right to organize. This is a national Gen-Z-led movement that’s spreading like wildfire, and it’s time for UNC students to join the fight.

That’s why I’m calling on UNC to cut ties with Starbucks by ending sales of all Starbucks products on campus. I don’t want my tuition dollars to help support the very same company that retaliated against me and my former co-workers for demanding basic rights. But I can’t do this alone. Please join me by signing this petition calling on UNC to cut ties with Starbucks. Our future begins now. 

Haya Odeh is a junior at UNC-Chapel Hill and former Starbucks barista. 

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