A coalition of progressive groups is hoping to pressure Starbucks into reaching a deal with its baristas’ union now that contract negotiations have stalled.
The union Workers United has organized nearly 650 Starbucks stores representing 12,000 baristas around the country since late 2021. The two sides started to make headway in a series of negotiations last year, but they remain far apart on key issues as the union campaign’s four-year anniversary approaches.
On Friday, more than 40 groups wrote Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol saying they would stand by the baristas if they went on strike. The letter was signed by the AFL-CIO labor federation, a dozen major unions, and groups like Greenpeace USA, the League of Conservation Voters and the Democratic Socialists of America.
“We will continue to back union workers’ fight, including by not crossing barista picket lines at Starbucks if they feel striking is necessary,” they wrote. “We may even join them on the picket line if progress toward a fair contract isn’t being made.”
In a statement, Liz Shuler, the AFL-CIO’s president, called Starbucks “a multi-billion-dollar coffee giant that can certainly afford to invest in the baristas who power its profits.”
