Starbucks and its workers’ union still haven’t reached a collective bargaining agreement

Nearly a year after Starbucks recognized its workers’ union, negotiations with Starbucks Workers United have stalled. A collective bargaining agreement hasn’t been reached yet.

The coffee chain’s largest strike in history over the holidays has yet to spur further negotiations. According to a Starbucks Workers United press release from December, workers decided to walk off the job after the company offered no raises in the first year of a proposed deal.

“We are ready to negotiate when Starbucks brings a viable economic plan to the table,” said Daisy  Federspiel-Baier, a shift supervisor at Starbucks in Seattle and a member of the union.  “Until then, things are kind of at a standstill right now.”

The company and the union have engaged in numerous bargaining sessions and have brought forward tentative agreements. But the union claims that Starbucks has failed to present a serious economic proposal, causing negotiations to come to a halt. The company claims the union walked away from bargaining.  

“We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements. We need the union to return to the table,” wrote Phil Gee, a Starbucks spokesperson, in an emailed statement. Starbucks did not agree to an interview.

After the company recognized the union in February 2024, Starbucks and the union set a goal of settling a contract by the end of 2024. But that hasn’t happened, leaving workers without an agreement. 

In bargaining for future wage increases, the company would not offer an increase in the first year, and for any subsequent years, only offered a guaranteed increase of 1.5%. The union said amounts to less than 50 cents an hour for most baristas. Workers have said that’s not enough.

“ They aren’t keeping up with the cost of living, and my coworkers and I struggle to make ends meet,” Federspiel-Baier said. 

Starbucks has released statements about how their wages and benefits are competitive.

In a Dec. 20, 2024 press release, Sara Kelly, Starbucks’ executive vice president and chief partner officer said about the union proposals, “These proposals are not sustainable, especially when the investments we continually make to our total benefits package are the hallmarks of what differentiates us as an employer – and, what makes us proud to work at Starbucks.”

The outside of a Starbucks store in Tacoma, Washington on Jan. 28, 2025. Not all Starbucks employees have unionized, but workers at over 500 stores have. (Credit: Lauren Gallup / NWPB)

Not all Starbucks employees are unionized, and the company has faced legal trouble for increasing pay for non-unionized employees while not doing the same for unionized employees. In 2023, a National Labor and Relations Board judge found the company violated federal labor law for doing this. 

Beyond wages, the union is also fighting for a more inclusive dress code, the right to organize in an environment free of fear, faster accrual of sick leave and better health care benefits, Federspiel-Baier said. 

While she said she is motivated by the community support for her and her coworkers and by the strength of the union, Federspiel-Baier said it is frustrating to not have an agreement. 

“ My coworkers and I, and workers around the country, were really excited to have a first contract bargained by the end of 2024, and it was really disappointing that Starbucks didn’t take our bargaining process seriously and didn’t listen to the needs and concerns of their workers in a way that was meaningful,” Federspiel-Baier said.

But she said that frustration keeps her going. 

In the meantime, with no collective bargaining agreement reached, the union has filed numerous unfair labor practices against the company. 

In December, the union filed an unfair labor practice against the company, alleging that Starbucks refused to bargain and engaged in bad faith bargaining. 

One claim is that the company refused to bargain with the union over the issue of expanded paid parental leave, ignoring the union’s offer and instead announcing the same plan weeks later, according to a Jan. 10 press release from the union.

In response to questions about that claim, Gee wrote, in part, “The allegations are baseless. Taking time to file such claims is a tactic that brings distraction from the progress we could be making.”

According to a Jan. 17 press release, the union has filed over 90 new unfair labor practices against the company in the first two weeks of the year. 

The allegations range from the company changing workplace conditions without bargaining, punishing some workers for being union supporters and closing union stores in retaliation for organizing.

Another Seattle Starbucks store filed for a union election on Friday. If workers vote in favor, they would join 11,000 Starbucks Workers United members.

Correction: A previous version of this story stated a union proposal for wage increases from bargaining that was not fully accurate. This story has been edited to remove that statement.