News Blog

On the road to resolution – Workers United issues unconditional return-to-work notice 

Your dedication kept nearly all our 17,000 U.S. coffeehouses open and welcoming millions of customers this holiday season. Fewer than 1% of our coffeehouses were affected, and more than half of the coffeehouses the union placed on strike notice never closed or reopened quickly. More than half of the coffeehouses the union placed on strike notice never closed, or reopened quickly. We know that on some occasions, partners have had to deal with attempted disruptions and unsafe activity. We appreciate the way everyone has focused on taking care of our customers and one another. I’ve been consistently impressed by how you’ve lived our values as you’ve navigated this time. Thank you.  

I’m glad to be able to share that at the end of last week, the union informed us that partners at 166 of the 215 coffeehouses on their strike list would like to unconditionally return to work, meaning they are ready to return under the current terms of their employment. It does appear that the union plans to keep a small number of coffeehouses under strike notice for now, but this may be a signal that they’re ready to return to the bargaining table. 

Investing in what matters most to our partners 

We remain focused on what you’ve told us matters most. As part of our Back to Starbucks strategy, we’ve invested $500 million to bring more partners into our coffeehouses, provide more hours to more partners, and introduce technology that makes work simpler. Scheduling has improved too. Today, 85% of partners get the hours they prefer, and shifts are more consistent than ever. And because flexibility matters, new tools make it easy to pick up shifts when and where it works best for you. Together, these changes are about making your experience better because when partners thrive, so does Starbucks. 

We’ve had an exciting holiday season that kicked off with a record-breaking holiday launch and the biggest Reusable Red Cup Day in history. That is thanks to you. The care you create for each other and our customers is what defines Starbucks and makes this season especially bright. 

Let’s carry this spirit into the new year—creating growth, opportunity, and shared success. Thank you for everything you do, and warm holiday wishes to all who celebrate. 

Proud to be your partner, 
Sara 

Starbucks Cards are now available in both physical and digital formats and most can be loaded in any amount from $5 to $100. Customers can purchase gift cards at Starbucks coffeehouses and a variety of other locations including grocery stores, and other retailers.

How to purchase a Starbucks Card

Starbucks eGift Cards can be purchased and gifted through the company’s website, the Starbucks app and Apple iMessage, and can be sent with a personalized message for a special holiday greeting or wishes for a happy new year. 

Starbucks Cards are a gift that keeps on giving. When customers register a Starbucks Card with the Starbucks Rewards loyalty program and make a qualifying purchase, they can earn Stars redeemable for beverages, food and more. Some restrictions apply. Details are available at starbucks.com/rewards. Visit starbucks.com/gift to view this year’s holiday designs and learn more about the ways to purchase a Starbucks Card. 

Anand earned his undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology and holds both a master’s degree in civil engineering from Purdue and in computer science from the University of Washington. Outside of work, he’s an avid runner aiming to complete all seven World Marathon Majors. He’s also a coffee enthusiast and starts most days with a tall latte or brewed coffee, followed by an order of Starbucks egg bites for lunch.

I want to thank Ningyu Chen for stepping in as interim CTO. His leadership kept our priorities on track and our technology work moving forward. And I’d like to thank Cathy Smith for her support and oversight of the organization through this transition. I’m confident Anand will help the team build on work underway and accelerate our efforts to deliver the very best of Starbucks for partners and customers.

Please join me in thanking Ningyu and in welcoming Anand to Starbucks.

On we go,

Brian

• SCAP ‘plus one’ benefit, which allows military and U.S. veteran partners to extend the benefit to a qualifying family member of their choice 

• No commitment to stay after graduation — partners can pursue the path that’s right for them 

• ~75% experience career growth after earning their degree 

This year also brought new study abroad and coffee education opportunities, from ASU’s Future of Coffee course to a hands-on sustainability immersion at Hacienda Alsacia in Costa Rica, where scholars study climate, agronomy and the future of coffee at our global research and development farm. 

Today is one of my favorite moments of the year — celebrating our partners in Tempe, Arizona as the December graduating class takes a well-earned step toward the futures they’ve dreamed about. And when partners feel supported with life-changing benefits like these, they bring that same care and connection to every cup they serve — strengthening the Starbucks experience for all of us. 

Congratulations, ASU graduates. Here’s to everything your achievements make possible. 

The Starbucks College Achievement Plan provides 100% tuition coverage for benefits-eligible Starbucks employees to earn their first bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University’s online degree programs. Learn more at starbucks.asu.edu

At Starbucks, supporting our neighbors is part of our ethos, whether it’s working to relieve hunger, building purpose-defined stores or investing in under-resourced communities. By partnering with World Food Program USA and No Kid Hungry in the U.S., Breakfast Club of Canada and hundreds of local hunger relief groups, we aim to bring hope and support to communities facing hunger — showing how a global brand can make a local impact at scale. 

“Today, over 153 million children go to bed hungry. For many, a school meal is the only one they’ll eat each day,” said Barron Segar, president and chief executive officer of World Food Program USA. “This holiday season, we thank Starbucks and its customers around the world for helping us feed children and fuel futures. Together, we are leveraging Starbucks global community and WFP’s expertise and reach to deliver millions of school meals to children who need them most. There has never been a more important time to unite our strengths and turn compassion into action—one meal, one child, one future at a time.”  

Being able to support World Food Program USA, WFP – the U.N. agency that will distribute meals to international markets through its global school meals program, No Kid Hungry and Breakfast Club of Canada builds on Starbucks year-round hunger relief strategy which includes donating unsold food through our innovative FoodShare food donation program, investing in ways to rescue surplus food and improving food security in coffee-growing regions.  

This holiday season, we’re spreading joy, fostering connection and making a lasting impact on hunger relief, through our coffeehouses and alongside our partners (employees), customers and communities.  

*For every Crispy Grilled Cheese on Sourdough purchased between December 2, 2025, and January 5, 2026 in participating stores in the US and Canada, Starbucks will donate $0.50 to World Food Program USA  (www.wfpusa.org/starbucks). This donation will be used to  support WFP school meal programs globally, and in the US and Canada through No Kid Hungry (www.nokidhungry.org), to provide up to 12 million meals with a minimum donation of $500,000 and a maximum donation of $3M globally ($1.75M US & Canada). WFP does not endorse any product or service. 

Every change creates a domino effect – even when partners swap shifts for a doctor’s appointment, audition, or family obligation. Each adjustment has to be documented and approved, which makes compliance challenging and limits the flexibility many partners value. And we’re not alone – other food and beverage retailers face the same hurdles. Since this law went into effect, employers have paid tens of millions of dollars in settlements reflecting the complexity of compliance across the industry. 

At Starbucks, we take these requirements seriously and despite our best efforts and well-intentioned coffeehouse partners, the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) raised instances of violations between July 2021 and June 2024.  

While the NYC laws remain unchanged and complex, our focus hasn’t shifted – we’re committed to creating the best job in retail and to ensuring our practices follow all laws.  

To move forward, Starbucks and DCWP have agreed on a settlement. These violations are not about withholding wages or failing to pay partners, but as part of the agreement, some current and former partners will receive payouts. This compensation is about compliance, not unpaid wages. Starbucks will share details directly with those recipients in the coming weeks. 

Since these claims, we’ve invested $500 million in improving the partner experience as part of our Back to Starbucks strategy. That means bigger rosters, better schedules, and upgrades to our scheduling tools like Automated Regular Scheduling within Starbucks Partner Hours. We’ve also added training and technology to help partners in New York City – and across North America—get the hours they want, when they want them via our newly launched Shift Marketplace. These investments not only ensure compliance – they make the experience better for partners in our coffeehouses. 

Today, more partners are getting schedules that fit their lives, making it easier to match availability and preferences while staying aligned with local laws like Fair Workweek. In fact, our recent partner survey data suggests nearly 85% of partners are consistently getting the shifts they want and we’re seeing record high shift completion rates across the board. 

Providing the best job in retail means more than just a paycheck – it’s about creating real opportunities and providing real support for our partners. Today, our hourly partners earn an industry-leading average of $30 in pay and benefits. And those benefits are designed around what matters most: comprehensive healthcare, company equity, up to 18 weeks of paid parental leave, and the chance to earn a four-year degree with tuition paid upfront – all for partners averaging at least 20 hours a week. It’s a job people choose and stay with. Our turnover is less than half the industry average, and every year, more than a million people apply to join us.

This is Green Apron Service in action. It’s not just what we serve, it’s how we serve it. Every smile, every hello, every personal note on a cup matters. Our holiday beverages and Reusable Red Cups bring customers in, but it’s our partners and the experiences you create that keep our customers coming back.

Thank you to our coffeehouse teams for your incredible work. And thank you to our support teams for all that you do to set our green apron partners up for success. Working together, we’re building the green wave. We’re making the holiday season truly iconic. And we’re delivering the very best of Starbucks to our customers.

All the best,
Brian

The collectible cups are a gift that keeps on giving – customers can bring back their clean holiday cup — or any cup — for a 10-cent discount on their beverage all year long.  

Our commitment to bargaining hasn’t changed. Workers United walked away from the table but if they are ready to come back, we’re ready to talk. We believe we can move quickly to a reasonable deal.  

We know pay and benefits are important. That’s why Starbucks offers the best overall wage and benefits package in retail, worth on average $30 per hour for hourly partners. Our benefits – including comprehensive healthcare, 100% tuition coverage for a four-year college degree, and up to 18 weeks paid family leave – are available even when working part time, beginning at an average of 20 hours per week.  

Despite this, Workers United proposes pay increases of 65% immediately and 77% over three years with additional payments on top of this for almost every aspect of the job including for working within three hours of opening or closing, for working on the weekend, for receiving inventory, or on a day when Starbucks runs a promotion.  Some of the proposals would significantly affect store operations and customer experience, including the ability to shut down channels like Mobile Order when there are just five orders in the queue. These aren’t serious, evidence-based proposals.   

The best job in retail 

We’re proud to employ more than 240,000 partners in over 10,000 company operated coffeehouses across the U.S.  We already offer the best job in retail, and we are taking steps to make it even better.  

As we get Back to Starbucks, and invest in Green Apron Service, we’ve focused on what matters most to partners: 

• Support: We’re investing $500M in green apron partner hours so that we have more partners on the roster, more help during busy shifts, and technology that makes work easier. 

• Career growth: We’re committed to promoting from within for 90% of retail leadership roles, and developing the training and support needed to make this a reality.  

• More hours and better schedules: 85% of partners now get their preferred hours, and our shifts are more consistent and fully covered than ever before. 

• Flexibility: Tools that make it easy to pick up shifts when and where you want.  

You can read more about our comprehensive package of partner benefits and perks an About.Starbucks 

People like working at Starbucks 

The facts show people like working at Starbucks. Our turnover is at record lows – about half the industry average. And based on our latest surveys, a growing majority of partners recommend Starbucks as a great place to work. That’s why we get more than 1 million applications a year in the U.S. from people hoping to put on the green apron and work at Starbucks.   

Thank you for your partnership 

Our momentum is building. At coffeehouses across the country, you can see and feel positive energy. The investments we have made – and the changes we’ve implemented in partnership with our green apron partners – are making a difference to both the partner and customer experience. Together, we’re building a green wave. 

The care and connection you provide are what defines Starbucks, especially as we get ready for the holidays. Thank you for all you are doing at this busy time.  

We’ll share more information when we have it.  

Your partner, 
Sara