Starbucks, Union Working to Revive Long-Stalled Contract Talks (1)

Starbucks Corp.’s union has made a new contract offer to the company, and the two sides say they’re working to restart long-stalled talks.

“We are in conversation with the company about the road back to the bargaining table,” barista Jasmine Leli said in an emailed statement from Starbucks Workers United, which represents about 600 of the chain’s roughly 10,000 company-run stores. “It’s time to get a fair contract done so we can all move forward.”

The union made a new comprehensive contract proposal last month, and the two sides are discussing how to revive negotiations, a union spokesperson said.

Starbucks said it has proposed to resume in-person negotiations March 30, and offered to be available for ongoing talks throughout April. Starbucks previously accused the union of making financially unsustainable proposals and of abandoning negotiations. “We’re glad to see that they’re ready to come back to the table,” company spokesperson Jaci Anderson said Friday.

In the more than four years since the first Starbucks café organized with Workers United, the company and the union have yet to reach a collective bargaining agreement. The parties last met for mediation in April, after talks broke down in late 2024. This past holiday season, the union mounted what it said was its longest strike to date, accusing the company of refusing to fairly negotiate.

Workers United’s latest proposal includes a $17 minimum wage, 4% annual raises and a requirement that at least three staffers be scheduled to work the floor whenever a café is open, according to the union. Starbucks declined to comment Friday on the union’s new offer, and said the company has been “engaging in good faith bargaining.”

(Updates with comment from Starbucks)

--With assistance from Redd Brown.

To contact the author of this story:
Josh Eidelson in San Francisco at jeidelson@bloomberg.net

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Anne Cronin at acronin14@bloomberg.net

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