Statement from NYC Comptroller Lander on Starbucks Baristas Strike Authorization

Statement from NYC Comptroller Lander on Starbucks Baristas Strike Authorization

New York, NY - New York City Comptroller Brad Lander released a statement following the approved unfair labor practice (ULP) strike by Starbucks Workers United baristas. Comptroller Lander and other investors recently sent a letter to the Starbucks Board of Directors raising concerns about stalled negotiations with their unionized workforce. The strike would impact more than 600 locations across the country.

"As a long-term shareholder, my office implores Starbucks to restart negotiations and promptly reach a contract with its unionized baristas. Despite almost four years since the first successful unionization election, despite our 2023 shareholder resolution which garnered a majority vote of the company's investors and its own stated intention announced with fanfare in 2024, Starbucks has failed to reach a first agreement with Starbucks Workers United. The company is failing to live up to its own policies and commitment to the collective bargaining rights of its workers.

"A strike will only magnify the concerns investors have raised about deteriorating labor relations at the company. Starbucks cannot focus on improvements to its beverage menu and ignore the concerns expressed by its baristas. Heading into the holiday season, Starbucks must offer something better than a Peppermint Mocha or an Iced Gingerbread Chai; it must address the breakdown in negotiations and find a productive way forward to a fair first contract with its workers."

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