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NLRB Withdraws Its Request for Injunction Involving our Heritage Market Stores

Published on: • 4 min read

On March 18, 2024, the NLRB filed a motion in federal court to withdraw its petition for a temporary injunction related to our Heritage Market stores in Seattle. 

We are pleased that the Board has voluntarily withdrawn its federal court case. Alleged unfair labor practices related to the Heritage Market continue to be adjudicated before the NLRB, but the withdrawal of the request for injunctive relief aligns with our belief that the Heritage Market was lawfully established.

The creation of the Heritage Market was a direct result of partner feedback asking for a closer connection to Starbucks heritage and an enhanced focus on coffee, craft, community and culture.

For nearly two years, our three Heritage Market stores have operated as a single unit to provide an immersive experience showcasing our company’s past, present and future. Partners working at our Heritage Market stores rotate between all three stores and receive both specialized training and higher pay for performing additional duties, like hosting immersion experiences and heritage tours.

Creating the Heritage Market was part of a long-term plan and was done without regard to union status. In fact, there was no known organizing at the Pike Place, 1st & Pike or 1st & University stores when the decision to create Heritage Market was made.

While we respect the rights of our partners to organize and engage in lawful union activities, Heritage Market partners have not elected third-party representation. For our partners that have chosen representation, we are dedicated to fostering a positive working relationship for Starbucks partners and are eager to develop a constructive partnership with the union.

Starbucks Pike Place storefront, one of three Seattle-area stores that comprise our Heritage District.

Mar. 8, 2023

Last week, Region 19 of the National Labor Relation’s Board (NLRB) issued a consolidated complaint and notice of hearing regarding our long history of co-creation and collaboration sessions and formation of our Heritage District in Seattle. We firmly believe that the complaint has no merit and the remedies proposed by the General Counsel undermine our ability to make lawful and appropriate business decisions that advance the Starbucks experience for our partners and our customers.

Listening to and working side-by-side with our partners is core to our Mission and Values, and has helped to differentiate Starbucks as a supportive, partner-first company. Co-creation and collaboration sessions targeted by Workers United and NLRB Region 19 are a continuation of a decades long practice of hosting open forums between senior leaders and partners.

These sessions and the feedback loop they create are core to our culture of listening to and learning from partners across our global footprint — and throughout our history, partner feedback has helped inform and drive forward the innovations and investments that now define the Starbucks experience.

Furthermore, NLRB Region 19’s proposal to dissolve our Heritage Market undermines the interests of our partners and the unique experience our customers have come to love and expect. The Heritage Market is comprised of our original Pike Place store, our 1st and Pike store, and our 1st and University store, which operate as a single unit to provide an immersive experience showcasing our company’s past, present and future. 

Partners working at our Heritage Market stores rotate between all three stores and receive both specialized training and higher pay for performing additional duties, like hosting immersion experiences and heritage tours. While we respect the rights of our partners to organize and engage in lawful union activities, Heritage Market partners have not elected third-party representation.

Neither the facts in this matter nor established labor law justify the complaint issued — and NLRB Region 19’s proposed remedies run contrary to both the interests of our Heritage Market partners and the purpose of the National Labor Relations Act. For partners who may be concerned about what the complaint means to them, there will be no near-term impacts to the operation of our Heritage District or our long-standing efforts to listen and learn from one another. 

As a next step, we look forward to defending our partner engagement efforts, lawful business decisions and interests of our Heritage Market partners at a hearing scheduled before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) in December 2023.