This week we are going to do a deeper dive on whatโs happening in union organizing among so-called progressive brands that became a notable labor trend since 2021.
Unions are winning elections at some of the most culturally progressive, consumer-facing brands in the country: Starbucks, Trader Joeโs, REI, Chipotle, Whole Foods, New Seasons Market. The campaigns are loud, visible, and increasingly successful at the ballot box.
But hereโs the punchline labor doesnโt like to say out loud:
Almost none of these wins have resulted in a contract.
Despite hundreds of NLRB-certified elections across these brands since 2021, actual collective bargaining agreements are rare. And where they do exist โ New Seasons being the best-known example โ the eventual outcomes raise more questions than they resolve.
For management-side labor professionals, this wave is not just about representation. Itโs about what happens after. Because right now, the post-election landscape is turning into a long, expensive, high-friction holding pattern, and management is the one footing the bill.
The Numbers Look Big โ Until You Ask About Contracts
Starbucks alone has seen over 600 stores vote to unionize since 2021. Trader Joeโs, REI, and Apple have all had successful campaigns. Even Whole Foods saw a Philadelphia store vote to unionize in 2025.
But what unites nearly all these efforts is whatโs missing: a finalized collective bargaining agreement. Some negotiations have dragged on for more than three years. Some havenโt even started. Others fell apart at the ratification stage.
This is the long tail of modern organizing. And management is learning to live with it.
The New Risk Is the Second Year, Not the Election
The traditional playbook focused on avoiding a union win. Now? Itโs about managing the slow spiral afterward.
- At Starbucks, bargaining efforts have stalled out amid constant litigation and PR battles. While no contracts are yet in place across the more than 600 unionized stores, Starbucks Workers United submitted a new comprehensive offer in March 2026 in an attempt to break the deadlock and restart negotiations.
- Trader Joeโs United has yet to secure a contract at any store despite wins dating back to 2022.
- REIโs coordinated bargaining campaign collapsed in 2026 when workers rejected a tentative deal, leaving the parties to continue negotiations with no closure in sight.
No Contract? Still a Cost
The irony is rich: unions that canโt get contracts still extract real costs.
- Regulatory drag. Delays, complaints, and compliance burdens stretch months and sometimes years.
- Internal uncertainty. Managers are left managing ambiguity around rules, representation, and employee expectations.
- Reputation management. Organizing campaigns (and the PR that follows) often outlast the campaign itself.
Even Chipotle, which saw just one store unionize in Lansing, Michigan in August 2022, ended up facing NLRB litigation and negative headlines for allegedly denying raises to union workers.ย The Chipotle Union of Teamsters has decided to end bargaining after failing to get a contract for several years.
One store. One contract-less unit. But a multi-year distraction.
The New Seasons Outlier
New Seasons Market remains one of the lone bright spots for union organizers โ or so it seemed.
The Portland-based grocer finalized a contract in late 2025 covering roughly 850 workers. By February 2026, it announced layoffs affecting over 90 employees across 20 stores.
Itโs the first completed cycle of this new wave: win โ bargain โ ratify โ restructure.
Not exactly the outcome labor advertised.
Bottom Line for Management
The story isnโt โunions are winning.โ
The real story is: unions are getting in the door, but they canโt get to a deal.
That means employers are now managing a new class of labor risk. And itโs one that stretches long past the vote. The contracts arenโt coming anytime soon, but the cost of bargaining purgatory is already here.
