Starbucks baristas across America are throwing tantrums over new uniform rules. More than 1,000 workers at 75 stores walked off the job this week because the company wants them to wear plain black shirts instead of cartoon t-shirts or tacky patterns. These “partners” – as Starbucks calls its employees – claim management is crushing their freedom by standardizing apparel.

The coffee chain’s reasonable dress code update requires workers to wear solid-colored tops with approved pants. This replaces the previous free-for-all that let baristas show up in ugly holiday sweaters or SpongeBob SquarePants shirts. Starbucks leadership says the change helps customers easily identify staff – a commonsense business practice most Americans would support.

But union organizers smell blood in the water. Professional protesters from Starbucks Workers United are exploiting this non-issue to push their radical agenda. They’ve turned a simple uniform policy into a fake “workers’ rights” battle cry. One barista complained: “Customers don’t care what color our clothes are!” Meanwhile, customers absolutely care when unprofessional appearances and union distractions lead to 30-minute wait times for burnt lattes.

CEO Brian Niccol inherited a mess when he took over last year. The company’s once-sharp focus on quality coffee and quick service got replaced with social justice posturing and rainbow flags. Now the chickens are coming home to roost. Woke corporations create entitled workers