Starbucks and the union organizing its American workers said on Tuesday that they had agreed to begin talks with the aim of reaching labor agreements.
The announcement was a breakthrough for the two sides, which have been at odds since Workers United first organized baristas at a Starbucks store in Buffalo, New York, in late 2021.
“Starbucks and United Workers have a shared commitment to creating a positive relationship for the benefit of Starbucks partners,” Starbucks said in a statement. The labor union echoed those comments in a similar statement.
Workers have voted to unionize at more than 370 Starbucks-owned stores in the United States, but none of those stores have reached a labor agreement with the company.
The process was controversial.
In multiple cases, federal courts have ordered Starbucks to reinstate workers who were fired after leading unionization efforts at their stores. Regional offices of the National Labor Relations Board also issued at least 120 complaints against Starbucks for unfair labor practices, including refusing to bargain and withholding wage increases and other benefits for non-union workers.
Starbucks said Tuesday that, in a sign of good faith, it will provide unionized store workers with benefits it announced in May 2022, including the ability for customers to add tips to their credit card payments.
Starbucks was the first to indicate it wanted a better relationship with the union. In December, the company said it wanted to resume business talks with the aim of ratifying contract agreements in 2024. Before that, the two sides had not spoken for seven months.
During discussions last week, the two sides said it had become clear that there was “a constructive path forward on the broader issue of the future of regulation and collective bargaining at Starbucks.”
Starbucks and United Workers Inc. said Tuesday they also plan to discuss resolving their lawsuits.
In October, Starbucks sued United Workers, saying a pro-Palestinian social media post from the union's account early in the war between Israel and Hamas angered hundreds of customers and damaged its reputation. The company demanded that the union stop using its name and image. United Workers opposed this, saying Starbucks had defamed the union and insinuated it supported terrorism.
“Although there is much work ahead of us, coming together to develop this framework is an important step forward and a clear demonstration of the shared commitment to working collaboratively and with mutual respect,” the union said in a statement. Starbucks echoed those comments.
