Following Starbucks’ decision to close five locations across its hometown of Seattle, including four union stores, Workers United secured critical wins for impacted union baristas through effects bargaining — ensuring the company provides meaningful financial support, extended healthcare, and fairer pathways to continued employment for impacted union baristas across Seattle.

Workers, in coordination with our union, secured the following victories through effects bargaining:

• 8 weeks of pay and benefits for impacted partners.
• Additional 40-84 hours of severance pay for impacted baristas.
• Lump sum payment to impacted baristas equal to 3 months of COBRA premium payments, ensuring baristas’ healthcare benefits extend through the end of August.
• Full payout of all accrued tips and vacation time, now explicitly guaranteed and enforceable in the agreement.
• Impacted partners will be eligible for transfers and rehire under existing transfer policies and processes.

These measures are a result of collective actions led by baristas and their union. Without the backing of a union, workers have no individual recourse to management’s decisions. In this case and in others, union Starbucks baristas were able to fight for and win added protections, economic security and direct compensation because they were united in Starbucks Workers United.

Now, union Starbucks baristas in Seattle and beyond remain focused on driving forward their historic organizing campaign as they continue to win real improvements on the job and fight for a fair union contract.