On Monday, Starbucks unveiled new financial-focused employee perks, but only for non-unionized staff.
My Starbucks Savings, which will let employees contribute a portion of their pay to a personal savings account through Fidelity Investments, and Student Loan Management Benefit, a programme designed to give employees access to resources and one-on-one coaching to help them manage student loan debt, refinancing, and repayment options, were the two new initiatives the company announced to assist employees with their finances.
Ron Crawford, senior vice president of total rewards at Starbucks, said in a statement that “as we redefine the future of Starbucks, along with our partners, we felt we had an opportunity to further assist the financial well-being of our partners and their families.”
The declaration this week wasn’t the first time the coffee company has refused to provide benefits to unionised workers.
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said in an online forum earlier this year that the firm would not be able to provide any additional perks or pay raises to unionised workers because of American labour law, which necessitates that pay and benefits be subject to separate negotiations with unions.
However, the Seattle office of the National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint in August, alleging that the business had broken the law by refusing to provide unionised employees compensation increases and certain benefits.
According to the union, Starbucks Workers United, 300 demonstrators picketed on Tuesday in front of the Starbucks Investor Day meetings.