Portside

Starbucks appears to be suiting up to deal with labor unions. 

In a Wednesday job posting, Starbucks said it was looking for a director of corporate counsel for labor with experience in "strike contingency planning." 

Intercept reporter Ken Klippenstein pointed out the posting in a tweet. 

The company seems to be ramping up its corporate union management as local stores continue to unionize. On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Frank Britt would come to Starbucks and focus on worker relations, its first chief strategy officer since 2018. 

The labor counsel description adds that it is looking for someone with "demonstrated experience in negotiating collective bargaining agreements," and working with the National Labor Relations Board.

"You will lead the development and implementation of the Company's labor relations strategies, as well as provide legal counsel to our business units in the United States and Canada on all aspects of traditional labor law," the description said. 

On Monday, the company posted another labor-related position for employee "experience and engagement communications." 

This person will work on communications related to "approach and strategy for Starbucks advocacy and labor relations," the description said.

It added that the company is looking for a "media hound" with a "passion for crisis communications." 

Six New York locations voted to join the Starbucks Workers Unitedunion last week, and the Journal said that over 180 out of 9,000 corporate-owned stores have petitioned to hold union elections.

Howard Schultz rejoined the company he helped found nearly 40 years abo as interim CEO after Kevin Johnson stepped down. 

"No partner has ever needed to have a representative seek to obtain things we all have as partners at Starbucks. And I am saddened and concerned to hear anyone thinks that is needed now," Schultz wrote to employees in 2021 amid a union movement in Buffalo, New York.

In his first Town Hall meeting since re-assuming the mantle of CEO, Insider reported, he said the chain was "being assaulted by the threat of unionization." 

Even though union membership in the US is down, from 20% in 1983 to 10.3% in 2021, per Pew Research, the labor movement has seen some high-profile additions of late, in the form of the first unionized Amazon warehouse earlier this month, Starbucks retail stores, and media. 

Starbucks did not immediately respond to a request for comment.