A Starbucks worker boards the Starbucks union bus after Starbucks workers picket with striking members of SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America (WGA) in solidarity outside Netflix studios on July 28, 2023 in Los Angeles California.
Mario Tama | fake images
starbucks and Workers United, which represents about 500 of its cafes, said Friday they made “significant progress” in their contract negotiations this week.
The two sides discussed a process for resolving grievances, details related to union representation of Starbucks baristas and other issues Wednesday and Thursday in Atlanta.
The two-day session marked the first time in nearly a year that Starbucks and Workers United came to the negotiating table. In February it was announced that the two sides were ending their bitter stalemate.
The coffee giant spent more than two years fighting the union, which is affiliated with the Service Employees International Union. Workers United has widely pushed for higher wages and more consistent hours, among a variety of other priorities.
This week's talks are the closest any of the unionized locations, which represent a small fraction of Starbucks' total U.S. presence, have come to a collective bargaining agreement. However, there is still a long way to go.
“There is more to do, but we are committed to working together,” both sides said in a joint statement.
Starbucks and the union plan to meet again at the end of May to continue working on the framework that will inform each store contract. Individual stores will still have to negotiate and ratify their own contracts once those foundations are built.
Labor laws do not require that the employer and the union reach a collective bargaining agreement, only that both negotiate in good faith. After a year, workers who lose faith in the union can apply for decertification, which delays negotiations.
