Starbucks asks unionized stores to begin bargaining talks
Starbucks Corp. (Nasdaq: SBUX) said Monday it wants to begin collective bargaining at stores with unionized workers.
The Seattle-based coffee giant said it sent letters to 234 stores that have voted to unionize — including 17 in Washington state — following months of public petitions from unionized baristas to do so.
"Each letter offers a three-week window in October to ensure that members of each bargaining committee, in addition to any other Workers United representative from that store, have ample opportunity to participate," the company said in a web post to employees. "We look forward to these negotiations and hopefully setting dates and securing locations for contract bargaining."
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Starbucks has long said it does not believe baristas should unionize and has shown reluctance to sit down at the bargaining table. The company's move comes as it faces more than two dozen charges from the National Labor Relations Board, which alleges the company has unlawfully fired, intimidated or coerced union baristas. Board judges have ruled that the company must reinstate several baristas who were fired while organizing their coffee shops.
In April Starbucks brought back Howard Schultz as interim CEO, with a promise to "reimagine" the Starbucks experience for employees and customers. Schultz and other company leaders followed through in mid-September, unveiling a plan that includes $450 million in store improvements, including labor-saving devices for baristas, as well as a slate of new employee benefits and pay raises announced earlier this year.
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2022/09/26/starbucks-collective-bargaining.html