Starbucks's union-busting decision to pull out of the Ithaca market has already led to widespread backlash this week, and that backlash (and the fallout from it) continues to intensify.
On Wednesday (May 10), workers from at least one of the remaining stores walked out in protest. Then, yesterday (May 11), members of the community essentially picketed one of the remaining Starbucks locations in Ithaca, and students began an occupation of Cornell's administrative offices.
The picketing followed a rally against Starbucks, and raised $700 for Starbucks Workers Union. Most of this money was raised by selling the coffee of local chain Gimme!, which is also unionized and a worker-run co-op, in front of the remaining Starbucks locations in Ithaca. Cornell reportedly called the police to halt this action, although it's unclear if the police actually did so.
While this was going on, students elsewhere on campus began an occupation of the university's administrative offices in an effort to get the campus to cut ties with Starbucks entirely. This facet of the protest gained particular steam yesterday as it was livestreamed to hundreds of people online. Its participants stated the occupation would continue "UNTIL PRESIDENT POLLACK KICKS STARBUCKS OFF CAMPUS"—and it seems at least a dozen students (and probably more) were involved. They were successful at occupying the space for over six hours and negotiating with Cornell leadership, although the binding meeting protesters asked for with President Pollack did not occur.
Cornell eventually called the cops and evicted the protest under threat of disciplinary action. Students were jovial, however, during the protest. The Cornell Sun notes the students as having "s[ung] union songs such as “Solidarity Forever” and “Which Side Are You On?” and chant[ed] slogans such as “Union strong, Starbucks out!” and “If we don’t get it, shut it down!”" When they were evicted at 8:59pm, they once again sang “Solidarity Forever” and some began camping out in front of the building with intent to continue their occupation today.
And indeed, it seems that the occupation is once again underway and has been for approximately the last five hours as of writing. Students filmed themselves filing in with signs of support for SBWU and demands to end sales of Starbucks products on Cornell this morning: