Starbucks Korea workers form 1st coffee franchise union

A Starbucks store in Seoul / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Starbucks Korea workers have formed the first labor union at a domestic coffee franchise, joining the Korean Chemical, Textile & Food Workers' Union (KCTFU), an industrial union affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU).

According to the KCTFU on Sunday, employees of Starbucks Korea, the local unit of the global coffee chain, joined the union on Thursday and established a Starbucks Korea chapter.

Explaining the move, the union said the company had limited communication with employees through an employer-led consultation channel instead of engaging in meaningful dialogue, while addressing workplace issues with temporary fixes rather than fundamental solutions.

It also accused the company of ignoring workers' demands while unilaterally rolling out increasingly burdensome promotions and operating policies.

The union's establishment follows the company's controversial promotional campaign in May, which evoked memories of the military's deadly crackdown on the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy movement.

The backlash prompted Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin to issue a public apology, while Starbucks Korea temporarily closed all of its stores nationwide to provide employee training aimed at strengthening historical awareness and social sensitivity. Shinsegae Group controls Starbucks Korea through its affiliate Emart, the company's largest shareholder.

The union cited chronic understaffing, an increasing number of promotions and events, rising workloads, wages insufficient to cover living expenses, work schedules that make it difficult to take on second jobs, and difficulties in applying for workers' compensation benefits as its key grievances.

It added that workers had previously staged truck and funeral wreath protests to press the company for improvements.

Before the union was established, Starbucks Korea employees had organized collective actions through anonymous online communities in 2021 and 2024, calling for more staff, lighter workloads and better working conditions.

Starbucks Korea employs about 23,000 people, with all store employees directly employed by the company.

The company said it would engage with the union in accordance with applicable labor laws.