July 28, 2023 in Los Angeles, California, after Starbucks employees stand on a picket line in solidarity with striking SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America (WGA) members outside Netflix Studios. workers board a union bus.
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Starbucks Workers United, which represents about 400 cafes, announced in a joint release Friday that it had made “significant progress” in contract negotiations this week.
The parties met in Atlanta on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the grievance resolution process, details regarding union representation for Starbucks baristas, and other topics, according to a press release.
The two-day session brought Starbucks and Workers United to the negotiating table for the first time in nearly a year. This followed an announcement in February that the two countries would end a bitter standoff.
The coffee giant has been battling the union, which is affiliated with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), for more than two years. Workers United has broadly called for higher wages and more consistent scheduling, among other priorities.
This week’s talks are the closest to a collective bargaining agreement among the unionized stores, which make up a small portion of Starbucks’ total U.S. store count.
However, there is still a long way to go.
“There is still work to do, but we are fully committed to working together,” the two sides said in a joint statement.
Starbucks and the union will meet again in late May to continue working on a framework that will inform all single-store contracts, according to the release. Even after that foundation is built, individual stores still need to negotiate and approve contracts.
Labor law does not require employers and labor unions to enter into collective bargaining agreements, only that the parties bargain in good faith. After a year, workers who no longer have faith in the union can file for disbarment, allowing more time for negotiations.
Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that Starbucks and Workers United represent approximately 400 cafes. Previous versions had an incorrect number.
