SAN ANTONIO, Texas — A small group of socialist activists joined striking baristas at a northside Starbucks on Saturday, attempting to bolster a picket line that drew little interest from customers or nearby holiday shoppers. About 15 baristas have been on strike since December 4, part of a nationwide labor action demanding a union contract and accusing the coffee giant of unfair labor practices.
Breitbart Texas observed Saturday morning at the Starbucks on Blanco Road in the Alamo City’s north side, where members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation unfurled a banner and carried signs calling for a boycott of the coffee company until a contract that meets their demands is agreed to. The store remains open for business, using activists brought in from other locations as the strike continues.
The poorly attended picket line drew little attention from passersby, who were primarily shopping at nearby retailers. Residents moved in and out of the coffee shop, seeming oblivious to the ongoing strike during Saturday’s activities.
The picketing at the San Antonio Starbucks location is part of a larger strike involving more than 1,000 unionized Starbucks workers at more than 60 locations nationwide. The overall goal of the strike, according to Starbucks Workers United, the labor organization representing the baristas, is to combat what they describe as unfair labor practices and union-busting activity by the coffee company. Starbucks Workers United is demanding that the company finalize a union contract that includes improved staffing, higher pay, and a resolution to hundreds of unfair labor practice charges.
The national union took its picket line to the coffee giant’s headquarters in Seattle, Washington, where they were joined by Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) on Saturday. Jayapal posted a brief statement on X, saying, “Proud to stand with Starbucks workers today and every day! All workers deserve fair wages and a fair workplace.”
The support for the Starbucks workers from the San Antonio chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) is a pivot from the usual pro-Hamas/anti-ICE protests carried out in the Alamo City. As reported by Breitbart Texas, the San Antonio Party for Socialism and Liberation has shifted some focus of their activities to now protesting enforcement actions by federal law enforcement activities targeting the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang and support for the Socialist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
In recent weeks, the PSL has offered statements critical of the U.S. military actions against narco-terrorists in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific Ocean, calling the effort to stem the flow of narcotics and cut funding to cartels operating along maritime smuggling routes as acts of “open piracy”.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
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