Starbucks Will Bargain ‘In Good Faith’ With Buffalo Store Union

Starbucks Corp. has agreed to negotiate with its first U.S. union at a store in Buffalo, N.Y., solidifying a landmark victory for organized labor.

“From the beginning, we’ve been clear in our belief that we do not want a union between us as partners, and that conviction has not changed,” Rossann Williams, the coffee chain’s executive vice president for North America, wrote in a letter to employees Monday. “However, we have also said that we respect the legal process. This means we will bargain in good faith with the union that represents partners in the one Buffalo store that voted in favor of union representation.”

The National Labor Relations Board certified the union victory on Friday, requiring Starbucks to begin collective bargaining. It doesn’t mean that Starbucks must agree to workers’ demands, setting up potentially messy negotiations that could drag on for months.

The store, one of three Buffalo-area locations to hold union elections this month, voted 19-8 in favor of unionization. Workers at the second store sided against the union, while results at the third store are still in question.