Protesters protested outside a closed Starbucks Corp. at 505 Union Station in Seattle, Washington, US, on Saturday, July 16, 2022.
David Ryder | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Baristas at a Starbucks in Bellingham, Washington, became the 500th store to join the Starbucks Workers United union on Monday.
Since the first location voted to unionize in 2021, more than 11,000 baristas have joined the union, according to a press release Tuesday.
“This historic event is a testament to workers building power from the bottom up,” said Lynne Fox, president of Workers United. “Starbucks partners have boldly demanded a voice in the workplace and with it, strong contracts that guarantee respect, living wages, racial and gender equality, good planning and more.”
The union and Starbucks jointly announced in February that negotiations would take place on a collective bargaining agreement to reach a basic framework. They have been meeting at the bargaining table every month since April, and 100 new locations have successfully unionized in the past six months, the union said.
Chief executive Brian Niccol, who took over the top job at the coffee company in September, said last week that the company is committed to negotiating with the union in good faith as the two sides work to reach a labor agreement. The framework they negotiate will be the basis of the bargaining agreements between the individual stores and the company.
The union noted in the release that the negotiations had a positive outcome and that progress had been made.
Bellingham-area baristas sent a letter to Niccol explaining their reasons for organizing.
“Starbucks’ ultimate success in rebuilding depends on whether we as baristas have the support we need to do our jobs well so that we, in turn, can ensure that customers enjoy their Starbucks experience and keep coming back,” they wrote.
Representatives for Starbucks did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
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