Workforce

Union hits the 500-unit mark in its drive to organize Starbucks

Yet relations between Starbucks Workers United and the chain's new management seem to be warming.
The parties pledged to keep progressing toward "a foundational agreement." | Photo: Shutterstock

Starbucks Workers Union reached a milestone this week in its quest to turn Starbucks into the first unionized restaurant chain of scale, with the tally of organized stores hitting the 500 mark. 

The union said the staffs of 100 units had voted in the last six months to become members, swelling the count of baristas who’ll be covered by collective bargaining agreements to 11,000 in 45 states. Starbucks currently has about 16,500 units in the U.S. and employs about 228,000 people domestically. 

The SWU hailed its efforts to date as “the largest scale of union organizing this century,” noting that the drive began only three years ago. It characterized the rate of recruitment during the last half-year as “unprecedented,” countering frequent observations from the field that the pace appeared to have slowed.

“500 union-represented stores is a huge milestone not only for our location, but also for our growing union movement,” Cameron McCormack, a shift supervisor at Unit Number 500, was quoted in the SWU’s announcement of reaching that goal.  “And we’re just getting started.”  The café is located in Bellingham, Washington. 

The SWU underscored its achievements without accusing Starbucks of trying to bust the union and deny members their rights, as it routinely has in the past. Rather, the group suggested that management is now negotiating in good faith on a labor agreement. The parties have met once a month since April, and “they’ve made substantial progress, advancing numerous measures and deepening their collaborative effort,” the union said. “This positive momentum continues to drive forward as both sides work towards effective and equitable agreements.”

The negotiations are expected to yield a template of sorts for each union store’s labor contract. Neither side has revealed any specifics of the negotiations, but SWU indicated before the give-and-take began that it would seek wage increases, predictable scheduling, better health insurance and more paid time off. 

The new amity was reflected in open letters the union and new CEO Brian Niccol exchanged last week on the eve of another negotiation session, the first involving Niccol.

The communication sent by the union over the signatures of 278 members-turned-negotiators welcomed Niccol to his new post, which he assumed three weeks earlier after a standout run as CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grill. 

“We are excited to continue making progress towards the conclusion of a foundational agreement and hope you are committed to continue the spirit of mutual respect that has defined our negotiations thus far,” the note read.

“I appreciate your positive feedback that our relationship—the relationship between Starbucks and [SWU parent organization] Workers United—is grounded in good faith and professionalism, and I am pleased that we’re making meaningful progress toward our shared goals,” Niccol responded. 

The parties agreed to maintain that collaboration going forward.

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