Starbucks dress code didn't violate NYC workers' labor rights, US court rules

The 23,000-square-foot Starbucks store in Manhattan's Meatpacking District includes an on-site roastery, coffee and cocktail bars, a bakery and retail space.

Instead of Starbucks' standard green aprons and black tops, workers there don brown aprons and collared shirts or turtlenecks in muted colors and can opt to wear a handful of pre-approved shirts and pins. Those support various causes such as military veterans, Black Lives Matter, Hispanic Heritage Month and World AIDS Day, according to court filings.

The store in 2022 became one of the first Starbucks locations to unionize; workers at 700 other U.S. stores have voted to join unions since then, and in the process have filed hundreds of complaints with the NLRB accusing the company of illegal labor practices.

The board in 2024 ruled that before the Manhattan store unionized, Starbucks interfered with workers' rights there by prohibiting union shirts and more than one pin, and that the company failed to show any legitimate justification for the policies.