Starbucks Union Asks Coffee Retailer To Extend Pay Hikes To Unionized Stores: CNBC

(RTTNews) - Starbucks Workers United has reportedly asked Starbucks, the world's large coffee retailer, to extend wage hikes to workers at unionized stores.

According to CNBC, the labor union has asked the company to extend the benefits of pay hike to unionized stores as well without going through the negotiation process.

The request comes after Starbucks announced in May that it would hike wages for workers and add other benefits such as credit card tipping by late this year. The coffee chain, however, said it wouldn't offer the benefits to workers at unionized stores because it needs to go through bargaining to make such changes.

In a letter to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz obtained by CNBC, Workers United said the company can offer benefits to employees at unionized stores without bargaining, as long as the union agrees.

"Workers United refuses to stand by while Starbucks cynically promises new benefits only to non-unionized workers and withholds them from our members," states the letter from Lynne Fox, president of Workers United, to Schultz last month.