A group of United Nations human-rights experts has requested responses from Starbucks and the U.S. government regarding allegations of a years-long campaign against workers seeking to unionize, according to a March 10 letter released this week by the U.N.'s human-rights office.
The letter states that experts received information alleging ongoing and widespread threats, harassment and intimidation against Starbucks employees involved in union activity since 2021. The allegations include cases across several U.S. states where police were called on workers engaged in picketing, leafleting and other protest activity.
The experts stated that the alleged conduct could violate rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association under international law.
Negotiations between the company and its unionized baristas broke down in early 2025 but have recently resumed. Starbucks told Reuters that it is actively engaging with the union in good faith and has put forward a proposal for a collective bargaining contract that builds on Starbucks’ already competitive pay and industry-leading benefits.
