Starbucks has signed union contracts almost nowhere, but in Chile, workers have a national agreement covering 176 stores. They were the first in the world to unionize, in 2009.

In the United States, workers at 550 stores finally brought Starbucks to the bargaining table in 2024 and in November last year they began a boycott and strike, in which more than fifty stores are now holding out, and some are walking out in short strikes, like seven stores that struck in Minneapolis for the ICE Out day January 23. Now 666 US stores are unionized, but they still don’t have a contract.

Asked the secret of the Chilean union’s unique success, past president Andres Giordano said, “This is not something that could be done in one or two years.” It took from 2009 to 2022 for the union to achieve a real contract. They did it through many ups and downs and without any full-time paid leaders.