Starbucks announces higher pay, but union workers will have to bargain for it

MicroWave@lemmy.world to News@lemmy.world – 337 points – Starbucks announces higher pay, but union workers will have to bargain for it | CNN Business
cnn.com

Starbucks employees are getting more pay and new benefits, but some are only going to baristas that haven’t unionized. A National Labor Relations Board judge previously found that similar moves by Starbucks violate federal labor law, with the company appealing the decision.

The question of which workers get what perks and benefits has been one part of a bitter fight between Starbucks and union organizers across the country. Since the first location voted to unionize nearly two years ago, Starbucks has fought aggressively against the union drive. The NLRB has said that in some cases, the company engaged in illegal practices, with Starbucks refuting these claims.

As of mid-October, nearly 360 stores had voted in favor of a union, with the results certified by the NLRB. About 70 voted against, with those results certified. There are roughly 9,300 company-operated Starbucks locations in the United States.

43

You are viewing a single comment
View all comments

ok? I mean that’s how unions work. does starbucks think they won or something?

Starbucks employees are getting more pay and new benefits, but some are only going to baristas that haven’t unionized.

I think this is the important part. They're trying to incentives non-unions.

right, this is the pizza party. it’s a short term benefit that is not likely going to be maintained in order to pull people from the union. but with a union, you can just negotiate for those things. which is.... why they unionized in the first place. starbucks is dangling a carrot trying to save the farm.

Yes, that's probably it, but also I think unions have to negotiate any change to the contract collectively. Even giving a union member more money is breach of contract. Starbucks would be exposed to union action if they did so. Of course, this depends on how the contract is written. This certainly seems anti-union but it's also a smartass CYA on behalf of Starbucks. The union will raise hell immediately as they should.

Union contracts can set minimum wages and minimum rules for raises and allow individual negotiations above that. Far from all union contracts require exactly equal pay