Workers Unite Film Festival 2025

Baristas vs Billionaires

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BARISTAS VS BILLIONAIRES tells the powerful and timely story of a new generation of workers taking on Starbucks — an iconic brand that publicly champions progressive values while secretly waging an aggressive, illegal campaign to crush union efforts.


Leaked videos from whistleblowers reveal the company’s playbook: deploying a "SWAT team" of out-of-town managers to intimidate and dismantle organizing efforts, retaliating against pro-union workers through harassment, surveillance, and termination.


Through exclusive interviews with front-line baristas like Michelle Eisen and Gianna Reeve, and veteran labor organizer Richard Bensinger, the film exposes a stark contradiction between Starbucks’ public image and its behind-the-scenes union busting. Bensinger, with five decades of experience, calls Starbucks one of the most ruthless companies he’s ever faced.


This fight has captured national attention, with congressional hearings and a Senate subpoena forcing CEO Howard Schultz to testify under oath. Even the U.S. Supreme Court has weighed in on a related case, underscoring the movement’s far-reaching implications for American labor.


BARISTAS VS BILLIONAIRES is more than a documentary — it’s a call to action. At its heart is a deeply American struggle: the fight for dignity, fair treatment, and a voice on the job.



  • Year
    2025
  • Runtime
    72 minutes
  • Language
    English
  • Country
    United States
  • Director
    Mark Mori