Starbucks Seeks To Resume Contract Union Talks In January

(RTTNews) - Starbucks (SBUX) said it wants to resume contract talks with the union that represents over 9,000 of its employees, starting in January.

Sara Kelly, chief partner officer, sent a letter to Workers United President Lynne Fox seeking to resume productive contract negotiations.

"I am writing you in the hope that Workers United and Starbucks can find a way to resume bargaining at the earliest possible time," Kelly writes in the letter. "For months now, Starbucks and Workers United have been at an impasse over how to conduct collective bargaining. I am writing in the hope to change that situation and to reaffirm our commitment to the collective bargaining process with the goal of reaching agreements in reasonable time frames."

"We collectively agree, the current impasse should not be acceptable to either of us. It has not helped Starbucks, Workers United or, most importantly, our partners. In this spirit, we are asking for your support and agreement to restart bargaining," she adds.

Starbucks said it would like to conduct these meetings without audio or video recording "so that all participants are comfortable with open, honest discussions." Previously, the union had demanded that the negotiations be conducted over videoconference so that more members could take part.

Meanwhile, Fox said that the union was reviewing the letter and still determining how to respond. "We've never said no to meeting with Starbucks," she said. "Anything that moves bargaining forward in a positive way is most welcome."