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Sen. Ruben Gallego Joins Starbucks Picket Line In Arizona

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) joined Starbucks baristas at a picket line in Arizona in solidarity with their ongoing strike against the multibillion-dollar coffee company after going years without a union contract.

“Instead of trying to negotiate in good faith, they just engage in unfair labor practices over and over again,” Gallego told workers on Friday outside a closed Starbucks store in Gilbert, a suburb of Phoenix. “This is the stuff that happens when corporate power does not want to give way to worker power.”

Gallego is the second senator this month to visit Starbucks workers on the picket line, which escalated earlier this year when organizers expanded the strike to stores in dozens of cities across the country. Progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) marched with striking baristas alongside New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in Brooklyn, New York.

The Arizona Democrat, a U.S. Marines veteran who was elected to the Senate in 2024, has been making moves in recent months that have fueled speculation about a potential run for the White House in 2028. He recently unveiled a plan to tackle rising energy costs, and he’s gotten lots of attention on national television programs for his combative approach to congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump.

Gallego’s strong support for the labor movement, a key Democratic constituency, as well as his use of Sanders-like rhetoric of taking on corporate America and wealthy interests, is likely only to add to the presidential buzz.

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“I do think that unions are coming back and becoming stronger,” Gallego said in a phone interview with HuffPost on Friday. “Part of the reason why is the economic situation in this country. We have a more unequal country than we’ve had for a while. Some of the corporations are seeing massive pay raises for their shareholders, and huge payouts for CEOs, but the workers are not seeing the benefits.”

Starbucks employees at more than 600 stores around the country are trying to negotiate their first collective bargaining agreements with the company. Despite winning their first-ever union election in 2021, Starbucks workers are still waiting on their first union contract. Federal labor prosecutors have accused Starbucks of illegally firing union supporters, making unlawful threats and refusing to bargain with workers throughout the campaign.

Starbucks maintains it’s been bargaining in good faith and has accused the union of walking away from the negotiating table.

Gallego told HuffPost that bringing attention to the striking workers would help them secure a contract.

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“Starbucks and big corporations would love nothing more for these workers to lose motivation, to quit, and go back to work,” he said. “By showing public support, bringing attention, and encouraging consumers to not cross the picket line, we can force Starbucks to negotiate in good faith.”

“Also, by making sure labor laws are fairly implemented and that unfair labor practices are not taking place,” he added.