SYNOPSIS

 

Academy Award nominee and Emmy-winning director Mark Mori and his production team investigate a generational uprising of working-class Millennials and Gen Z as they battle Starbucks Coffee for their right to unionize.

 

In 2021, Starbucks baristas in Buffalo, NY, cited insufficient wages, disappearing benefits, and deteriorating working conditions. This ignited a firestorm of unionization that spread across the country, with 470+ Union Stores and 10,500 Union Workers. But after three years, the urgency of the situation is clear, as Starbucks Worker’s United still does not have a collective bargaining agreement.

 

Mori and his production team work on the ground, showcasing the bravery of the baristas—and now unlikely union leaders—as they fight for representation against corporate union-busting and a backlash that includes lawfare, store closures, firings, corporate surveillance, and even arrests. It's the new, current American working-class story, whose ending is still to be seen.

 

The Baristas vs The Billionaires documentary film delves into the lives of the baristas, highlighting their struggles and personal stories, as well as the challenges they face in their efforts to unionize.