Buffalo Movies: Documentary puts Starbucks unionization in perspective

By Ximena Ramirez Hernandez

Behind the familiar green apron and the sounds of espresso machines, “Baristas vs Billionaires” is a story about courage, community and the power of saying “no more.”

• The 72-minute film”Baristas vs Billionaires” will receive its world premiere tonight (Friday, Oct. 10) at 7:15 at the North Park Theatre, 1428 Hertel Ave.
  
• There will be a panel discussion,  “In Focus + On Location – ‘Baristas vs Billionaires'” earlier in the day (4-5 p.m.) at the Buffalo Toronto Public Media (140 Lower Terrace) with director Mark Mori, producer Alec Baldwin and documentary participant Will Westlake. It will be moderated by BIFF Executive Director Anna Scime.

Set in Buffalo, this documentary follows the story of the first Starbucks workers in the nation to unionize. 

It traces how their campaign, which started in 2021, sparked a national conversation about fairness, livable wages and respect in service work. But it’s not just about policy or what the company was lacking. 

It’s about people learning how to stand up in a place that wasn’t built for them to speak up. 

“We just wanted to be heard,” one organizer says in the film. “We wanted to feel like our work mattered.” 

That single line captures the heart of the story. A story not about defiance, but about dignity. 

Visually, the film seems unpolished but in all the right ways. 

The camera subtly moves with the workers. 

It runs through morning rushes and the coffee-splattered counters. It is a documentary focused on realism with some sort of a poetic edge. 

It turns Buffalo’s winter into a background for a battle of strength. 

The sound made by the milk steamers and the shuffle of union cards become part of the film’s rhythm. 

The editing feels intentional as well, fast when the pressure builds, slow when emotions are settling. 

The pacing that the film provides shows the grind of the service industry work itself. 

Repetition, rush, pause and repeat seems to be the order in which this film tells the story. 

What makes “Baristas vs Billionaires” stand out isn’t just its message, but its mood. It does a good job capturing how collective action can feel both exhausting and exciting. 

The film is about finding humanity in the everyday. 

Whether you’ve worked behind a counter or just ordered your morning latte, it invites you to look a little closer, at who’s making it, what they’re asking for and how much power there is in simply being seen. 

Ximena Ramirez Hernandez is an visual arts major and senior at SUNY Fredonia. The story is a product of the Arts Journalism class at SUNY Fredonia and the part of the SUNY Institute for Local News.