(New York) American coffee giant Starbucks and the Workers United union managed to agree on certain issues during discussions this week to develop a collective agreement, which would be a first for the group in the United States if ratified .
“The two-day round of negotiations this week in Chicago advanced several issues within the framework intended to serve as the basis for each establishment’s collective agreement,” the two parties said in a joint statement on Friday.
They welcomed the fact that the discussions took place taking into account the “needs and concerns” of the company and its unionized employees.
Agreements in principle have been concluded on several themes, in particular concerning job protection and the support and training of unionized employees.
“We are proud of the progress made so far,” they noted, indicating that negotiations would continue.
Contacted by AFP, the group and the union did not disclose the subjects still pending, nor the timetable for their third round of negotiations since April 24.
The main subjects of the discussions concern salaries, shifts, hours and staff shortages, health and safety aspects as well as access to care, the union specified on this occasion.
Once this “founding framework” is finalized, each establishment will develop its own collective agreement with its unionized staff.
To come into force, they must each be ratified by the majority of the members of the said café. The goal of both partners is to achieve this by the end of the year.
The organizing movement with Workers Union was launched in August 2021.
Starbucks Workers United now represents more than 10,000 employees in more than 425 locations across 43 states and the nation’s capital.
Starbucks owns nearly 10,000 cafes in the United States and Canada (more than 900), employing approximately 200,000 people.
In addition to Workers Union, the coffee giant negotiates with other unions representing employees in the United States and Canada such as the powerful International Brotherhood of Teamsters (one store in Pittsburgh) and United Steelworkers (thirteen stores in Canada).
Several thousand unionized employees walked off the job in the United States on November 16, the day of a vast promotional operation by the chain for the end-of-year holidays.