Workers United and Starbucks issued a joint statement announcing “substantial progress” in their contract negotiations.
According to the news release, they met to talk about specifics about the issues that caused them to disagree. More than 400 Starbucks shops are part of the union Workers United. The union has been talking with Starbucks. The union wants the company to make many changes, including paying more, keeping the same hours, and more.
Service Employees International group, or SEIU, has ties to the group. Starbucks and the group have been arguing about this for two years. There seems to be some progress at the negotiating table, but they still have a long way to go.
One store in New York was the first to join the union, and other stores quickly followed suit. The union works for more than 8,000 people in forty states. Both sides were unable to come to an understanding on how to bargain for almost two years. Finally, they agreed to keep bargaining, but a deal has not yet been made.
According to a joint statement, “There’s more to do, but we are committed to working together.”
The two sides haven’t met to talk about the terms of a deal in almost a year. They’re going to get together again next month to keep talking about possible changes. Labor rules don’t say they have to agree on anything, but they do say they have to bargain honestly. After a year, union members who want to quit during talks can do so.
