On February 18, 2026, SHARE and investors wrote to Starbucks Corporation (SBUX) urging shareholders to vote against the re-election of directors Jørgen Vig Knudstorp and Beth Ford at the Company’s annual meeting on March 25, due to sustained oversight failures related to labour relations.
Since then, it was reported that Starbucks Workers United (“SBWU”) made a new proposal to Starbucks sometime in February. On March 13, 2026, Starbucks disclosed that it offered a resumption of bargaining on March 30th, and shortly after, on March 19, investors and SHARE met with the Company to share our perspective.
We remain concerned about the Company’s current labour relations commitments, as our fundamental points have still not been addressed. It continues to be clear that the Board is not providing adequate oversight of these issues. While we welcome the Company’s willingness to re-enter the negotiating room with SBWU, we believe that this step alone does not address the lack of board oversight on labor issues. Accordingly, we still believe that votes against directors Knudstorp and Ford are warranted.
