98% Of Starbucks Union Baristas Vote To Authorize Strike – CoffeeTalk

Starbucks has announced that 98% of union baristas have voted to authorize a strike as they seek a contract with the coffee giant. The union and Starbucks have spent hundreds of hours at the bargaining table this year, putting forward dozens of tentative agreements. However, hundreds of unfair labor practice cases have not been settled, and Starbucks has not yet proposed a comprehensive package that would address barista pay and other benefits. Starbucks disputed the union’s characterization and said the company remains committed to reaching a final framework agreement.

The strike authorization shows that relations between the two sides may again be cooling, after thawing in late February when both parties said they found a “constructive path forward” through mediation. Starbucks had fought the union boom that swept across its company-owned locations for more than two years, leading to backlash from some consumers and lawmakers. Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol committed to bargaining in good faith in his first weeks on the job, and announced that the company would double its paid parental leave starting in March. However, baristas will reportedly receive a smaller annual pay hike next year than they have in previous years, following a sales slump at its U.S. locations. More than 500 company-owned Starbucks cafes have voted to unionize under Workers United since the first elections that took place in Buffalo three years ago.

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