Starbucks employees are getting more pay and new benefits, but some are only going to baristas that haven’t unionized. A National Labor Relations Board judge previously found that similar moves by Starbucks violate federal labor law, with the company appealing the decision.
The question of which workers get what perks and benefits has been one part of a bitter fight between Starbucks and union organizers across the country. Since the first location voted to unionize nearly two years ago, Starbucks has fought aggressively against the union drive. The NLRB has said that in some cases, the company engaged in illegal practices, with Starbucks refuting these claims.
As of mid-October, nearly 360 stores had voted in favor of a union, with the results certified by the NLRB. About 70 voted against, with those results certified. There are roughly 9,300 company-operated Starbucks locations in the United States.
Yes, that's probably it, but also I think unions have to negotiate any change to the contract collectively. Even giving a union member more money is breach of contract. Starbucks would be exposed to union action if they did so. Of course, this depends on how the contract is written. This certainly seems anti-union but it's also a smartass CYA on behalf of Starbucks. The union will raise hell immediately as they should.
Union contracts can set minimum wages and minimum rules for raises and allow individual negotiations above that. Far from all union contracts require exactly equal pay