Demonstrators protest outside the closed Starbucks Corp. store at 505 Union Station in Seattle, Washington, United States, on Saturday, July 16, 2022.
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barista starbucks It became the 500th store to join the Starbucks Workers United union in Bellingham, Washington, on Monday.
More than 11,000 baristas have joined the union since the first store voted to unionize in 2021, according to a press release Tuesday.
“This milestone is proof that workers have built power from the ground up,” said Workers United President Lynne Fox. “Starbucks partners have valiantly demanded a voice on the job, along with strong contracts that guarantee respect, a living wage, racial and gender equity, fair schedules, and more.”
The union and Starbucks jointly announced in February that they would negotiate through a collaborative process to develop a basic framework. The union says it has been coming to the bargaining table every month since April and has successfully unionized 100 new businesses in the past six months.
Chief Executive Officer Brian Nicol, who took over the coffee chain in September, said last week that the company would work in good faith to negotiate a labor agreement with the union. The framework they are negotiating will serve as the basis for collective agreements between individual stores and the company.
In a statement, the union said negotiations had been productive and progress had been made.
The barista at the Bellingham store letter I explained to Nicole the reason for the organization.
“The ultimate success of Starbucks’ turnaround will depend on our baristas getting the support they need to do their jobs well, so our customers can enjoy the Starbucks experience, and We can guarantee you will come back again,” they wrote.
Representatives for Starbucks did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
