Starbucks and the union that represents workers at about 400 of its U.S. stores said Tuesday they were starting discussions on a “fundamental framework” that would help the company reach labor agreements with unionized workers and resolve disputes between the two. sides.
The union hailed the development as a major shift in strategy for Starbucks, which has taken steps to resist union organizing at the company since the campaign began in 2021, moves that federal regulators have said violate hundreds of labor laws. times.
Starbucks, which denied the allegations, said in a statement that it hoped to have contracts negotiated and ratified by the end of the year and would agree to a “fair organizing process” – something the union has been demanding for years. He said that, as a gesture of good faith, he was giving unionized workers perks he introduced in 2022 but withheld from unionized stores, such as an option for customers to tip by credit card.
Representatives for both Starbucks and the union, Workers United, said that while the details need to be worked out, they hope to be back at the bargaining table in the coming weeks. Negotiations between the two sides have largely stalled in recent months.
Workers who helped lead the organization said they were surprised by the development. “It still feels pretty surreal right now,” said Michelle Eisen, a longtime barista at a Starbucks in Buffalo that was the first company-owned store to unionize during the current campaign. “There hasn’t been a single phone call I’ve received today where either I wasn’t crying or everyone else wasn’t crying.
If a framework is agreed upon and leads quickly to contracts, experts said, it could be a major development in labor relations in corporate America, where companies such as Amazon and Apple have resisted unionization to varying degrees.
“If Starbucks really intends to respect workers’ right to organize, stop pro-union intimidation and harassment of workers, and engage in real good faith bargaining, this is a huge step forward,” John Logan, professor at San Francisco State. University who is an expert on how companies respond to union campaigns, he said in an email.
But Dr Logan said he wanted to withhold judgment on the value of the framework until details became available. “There are many reasons to be cautious: Over the past 2.5 years, the company has engaged in one of the most aggressive and illegal anti-union campaigns in modern history,” he said.
The change appears to have been made by the company’s managing director, Laxman Narasimhan, who took over almost a year ago.
Mr. Narasimhan’s predecessor, Howard Schultz, told The New York Times in 2022 that he could not imagine ever embracing the union. He remains a major shareholder in Starbucks but is no longer a member of its board of directors.
Former executives who have spoken to Mr. Narasimhan said he is less resistant to the union.
The company announced in December that it was seeking to restart contract negotiations, and Mr. Narasimhan sent a conciliatory message soon after saying the company wanted to improve its relationship with employees, whom he calls partners.
“Our goal in the coming year is to further revitalize our partner culture,” Mr. Narasimhan wrote, adding that “it is time to redeploy the green apron cloth for all partners.”
People on both sides said the breakthrough — including an agreement on general principles — came during mediation last week to settle lawsuits between the union and the company.
Workers at more than 20 stores had filed to unionize their stores on one day last week – most in one day, the union said – reflecting the persistence of the campaign.
Unaddressed in the discussions so far is a dissident campaign for three Starbucks board seats backed by a union coalition that includes its parent Workers United. Shareholders can vote on the nominees until the company’s annual meeting in mid-March if a compromise is not reached before, but the framework announcement could reduce the rationale for a change in the eyes of many investors.
