Members and supporters of Starbucks Workers United protest outside a Starbucks store in Dupont Circle in Washington, DC on November 16, 2023.
Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images
Starbucks said it wants to resume contract talks with the union representing its baristas from January.
Saturday marks the two-year anniversary of the first unionization of company-owned Starbucks cafes in the US. Since then, more than 360 locations have voted to unionize, representing approximately 4% of the company's total U.S. corporate-owned footprint.
No locations have signed a contract with the company yet. The possible restart of talks could open a window to resolve an impasse in one of the most high-profile labor disputes in the US in recent years.
The employees have pushed Starbucks to, among other things, increase wages and solve the so-called understaffing in cafes.
Labor law does not require that the employer and the union enter into a collective bargaining agreement, but it does require that both negotiate in good faith. After a year, employees who lose confidence in the union can petition to revoke certification, putting a ticking clock on negotiations. At least 19 locations have filed petitions to decertify with the National Labor Relations Board, but seven have been denied due to rulings that Starbucks violated federal labor law.
Starbucks and the Starbucks Workers United union started talks more than a year ago, but negotiations were difficult. Both sides have accused the other side of not negotiating in good faith.
Starbucks has insisted on in-person negotiations, without representatives appearing via Zoom. The union has accused Starbucks of using this excuse as a delaying tactic.
“We collectively agree that the current impasse should not be acceptable to either of us,” Starbucks Chief Partner Officer Sara Kelly wrote in a letter addressed to Lynne Fox, president of Workers United International, which was obtained by CNBC. “It hasn't helped Starbucks, Workers United and, most importantly, our partners. In this spirit, we ask for your support and agreement to restart negotiations.”
In the letter, Kelly also outlines several conditions for negotiations to resume, including no audio or video recordings or feeds.
If Workers United agrees, Starbucks hopes to restart discussions with a representative group of stores in January.
The union says it has received the letter, is investigating it and plans to respond.
“We have never said no to meeting with Starbucks. Anything that moves the negotiations forward in a positive way is very welcome,” Fox said in a statement to CNBC.
In November, Starbucks workers staged their largest labor action ever, walking into more than 200 stores on Red Cup Day, one of the chain's busiest days of the year. Starbucks Workers United said the strike resulted in one big change that baristas were asking for: the ability to disable mobile ordering during peak promotional days. Starbucks said the change to its mobile ordering system was in the works even before the demonstration.
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