Starbucks to Hire a Strategy Chief

Starbucks is adding a strategy chief as the company grows increasingly anxious at the pace of its cafes’ unionisation efforts. 

The publication reported that the coffee chain would hire a new executive specialising in employee relationships. CEO Howard Schultz, who returned to Starbucks as CEO on Monday, continues to speak out against unionization.

Six stores in New York joined the Starbucks Workers United union on, with two in Rochester voting 10-3 and 13-11, and one in Buffalo voting 18-1 earlier this week. Additional votes are scheduled for next week at our Massachusetts, Virginia, and Oregon offices.

The employment of a strategy chief is expected to strengthen dialogue between management, unions and workers following recent hostilities by the group in an attempt to thwart union campaigns. In February Starbucks had fired "several" employees who tried to form a union in Memphis, Tennessee, after having a TV crew in the store.