Our ongoing commitment to fair bargaining

Our commitment is to ensuring Starbucks is the best place to work for every partner (employee) and is the unrivaled best job in retail. 

This week, despite nearly 200 hours of negotiations and more than 130 proposals exchanged, Workers United made the decision to present an incomplete framework for single-store contracts to their delegates to vote on, effectively undermining our collective progress.  The union’s actions, unfortunately, only cause further delay in reaching a mutual agreement on the path forward. 

At Starbucks, we offer equity grants to retail partners, and we were the first major retailer to provide health benefits for full and part-time work and covers 100% of tuition for partners pursuing a four-year degree. We recently invested over $3 billion in the partner experience, including wages and benefits. The average pay for hourly partners is now over $19, and with benefits, it is worth over $30 per hour. 

No other retailer offers such a comprehensive package. Starbucks is the industry leader in terms of total pay and benefits which far exceed retail industry norms. At Starbucks, our store labor costs as a percentage of sales are notably higher than others in the industry, because we have consistently invested in pay and benefits over many years. Any agreement we reach needs to reflect the reality that we already provide the best job in retail.  

Starbucks remains optimistic that, through productive compromise and respectful dialogue, we can finalize a contract that is fair and equitable.  A strong and successful Starbucks is in the interest of every partner.