According to Zhitong Finance APP, the Starbucks (SBUX.US) union submitted 34 complaints against the company to the USA Labor Council this week, indicating that tensions between Starbucks and the union are escalating.

These complaints were submitted by the Starbucks Workers Union to the USA Labor Council, accusing Starbucks of violating federal labor laws at stores in 16 states by selectively hiring and firing employees due to union activities in the past few months.

It is reported that the union had filed a complaint with the USA Labor Council on December 20 last year, claiming that Starbucks refused to negotiate in good faith and held a five-day strike at hundreds of Starbucks stores just before Christmas.

Starbucks claims that the union's allegations are baseless. Starbucks spokesman Phil Gee stated in an email: "Taking time to file such complaints is a strategy that distracts us from the progress we could have made."

The complaints and strikes currently faced by Starbucks are similar to the labor disputes the company encountered in 2022 and 2023. At that time, well-known US politicians, government enforcement officials, institutional investors, and employees expressed concern about the company's response to the union movement and the lack of progress in collective bargaining.

In February of last year, when the union and Starbucks announced an agreement to work together to resolve their differences, these disputes began to subside. Both parties subsequently reported substantial progress in a series of multi-day negotiations concerning union contract terms, until negotiations broke down over wage issues at the end of 2024. The union stated that Starbucks would not grant immediate raises, and future annual raises would only be 1.5%. Starbucks stated that the union proposed unsustainable suggestions and prematurely halted negotiations.

Wilma Liebman, former chair of the National Labor Relations Board in the USA, stated that the new labor relations board document indicates that Starbucks' relationship with the union is once again heading in the wrong direction. Before the agreement reached last February, she was one of the union allies urging for a position on the Starbucks Board of Directors. She indicated that introducing external mediators would benefit both parties.

Wilma Liebman stated: "Rather than letting this situation worsen, I think it is crazy not to seek some ways to get it back on track and complete the trade." "They have already made significant progress. What they need is some additional charm and extra skills to help them overcome obstacles and finalize the trade."