Strategic Organizing Center labor group ends proxy battle with Starbucks boardStrategic Organizing Center labor group ends proxy battle with Starbucks board

Joanna Fantozzi

Labor advocacy group Strategic Organizing Center has ended its proxy bid with the Starbucks board of directors following the Seattle coffee chain’s recently announced commitment to begin collective bargaining with the Workers United union.  

The Strategic Organizing Center — a coalition of labor unions including the Service Employees International Union, which has a small stake in the Seattle-based coffee chain — announced its intention to earn more seats on the Starbucks board in Nov. 2023 in order to address the company’s treatment of its employees, including Starbucks’ clashes with its growing union. The organization had created an activist website, Brew a Better Starbucks, arguing in favor of its three board candidates to “bring fresh perspectives and improve oversight” in light of the continued legal and political clashes between Starbucks and its union.

While the SOC was urging Starbucks shareholders to vote for its board candidates as recently as late last week, the organization withdrew its nominees Tuesday, about one week before the March 13 annual shareholders’ meeting, as reported by Reuters.

“We appreciate the decision announced by SOC today,” a Starbucks spokesperson said in a statement. “Starbucks has always been committed to doing the right thing – importantly, for our partners who are the heart of our business. The best days of Starbucks are ahead. We are focused on doing what we do best when we are at our best: bridging to a better future for our partners, uplifting the everyday for our customers, ensuring the future of coffee for all, contributing positively to our communities, and giving more than we take to the environment.”

Related:Starbucks and Starbucks Workers United union begin collective bargaining process

Strategic Organizing Center and Starbucks Workers United did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.

Contact Joanna at [email protected]