Starbucks' Own Shareholders Urge The Company To Get On With It And Resume Union Talks – CoffeeTalk

Starbucks has been urged by New York City’s Comptroller and other investors to resume talks with its workers’ union to discuss staffing, wages, and other issues. Union workers represent a small but growing fraction of U.S. Starbucks store staff, and the fight over wages and staffing conditions has become a high-profile issue for the company and its new CEO, Brian Niccol, as he works to revive sales.

The investor letter, signed by Comptroller Brad Lander, Trillium Asset Management, the Shareholder Association for Research and Education, and Pensions Investment Research Consultants, was addressed to Starbucks’ board members Jorgen Vig Knudstorp and Beth Ford and called on the company to reach a contract agreement with Starbucks Workers United. Both sides blame each other for ending talks late last year and say they are ready to return to discussions.

In April, union delegates voted to reject the coffee chain’s proposal that guaranteed annual raises of at least 2%, which the Workers United union said did not offer changes to economic benefits such as healthcare or any immediate pay hike. The New York City pension funds said they were the largest Starbucks stockholders within the group, with about 1.33 million shares.

There are over 650 unionized Starbucks stores currently in the U.S., up from about 525 in December last year. The fight over wages and staffing conditions has become a high-profile issue for the company and its new CEO, Brian Niccol, as he works to revive sales.

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