Starbucks and Workers United, who represent about 400 cafes, said they made “significant progress” in their talks this week. They discussed how to solve problems, the union’s role for Starbucks workers, and other things in Atlanta.
This was the first time in almost a year that they sat down to talk. They had been in a tough fight until February when they decided to end it.
For over two years, Starbucks and the union, part of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), were in a battle. Workers United wanted better pay and more predictable schedules, among other things.
This week’s talks are the closest the unionized cafes, which are only a small part of all Starbucks in the U.S., have gotten to making a deal.
But there’s still more work to do. “We have more to do, but we’re committed to working together,” they said.
Starbucks and the union will meet again in May to keep working on the plan. Each store will still have to talk about and agree on their contracts after they set the groundwork.
The law doesn’t force the company and the union to make a deal, just to talk fairly. If workers lose trust in the union after a year, they can ask to stop being part of it, which puts pressure on negotiations.
