PARK SLOPE, Brooklyn (PIX11) — Three weeks into intermittent strikes at Starbucks stores across New York City and the nation, workers received high-profile support from Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

Members of Starbucks Workers United gathered outside the coffee chain’s 4th Avenue location, calling for a fair contract that guarantees higher pay and more reliable scheduling. Their demands were underscored by a major announcement from the city: a $38 million settlement with Starbucks over NYC labor law violations.

According to the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, the agreement requires Starbucks to pay $35 million in restitution to roughly 15,000 workers and an additional $3.4 million in civil penalties. The settlement closes an investigation that found the company routinely failed to provide consistent schedules and regularly cut employees’ hours in violation of city labor laws.

Mamdani and Sanders, both outspoken supporters of organized labor, praised the workers’ efforts and criticized the company’s treatment of employees. The lawmakers, longtime proponents of the unionization movement at Starbucks, said the settlement validated workers’ claims.

Starbucks, however, pushed back on the union’s narrative. The company said the continuing strikes have caused no “meaningful disruption” at most locations, but maintained that its retail jobs remain in high demand. In a statement, the company said, “When the union is ready to return to the bargaining table, we’re ready to talk. The facts are clear: Starbucks offers the best job in retail, with pay and benefits averaging $30 per hour for hourly partners.”

Responding to the city’s settlement findings, Starbucks cited New York’s complex employment laws and said it has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into improving scheduling practices and compensation. 

Workers on the picket line disputed that improvements have taken hold.  Mayor-elect Mamdani told PIX 11 he would follow up on their concerns once he takes office.