On May 3, 2022, Starbucks employees were welcomed with good news in the form of a promise of higher salary raises.
However, there was a catch: employees at unionized stores – or those who seek to unionize – will not see a penny of this increase.
Starbucks' move appears to be rather transparent in terms of trying to deter workers from backing union drives.
It also comes at a time when the coffee business is experiencing a major uptick in union action.
Furthermore, the union has won 54 of the 64 elections held so far, several by large percentages.
As a labor historian, I find the emergence of the Starbucks union movement remarkable.