A shareholder proposal filed by the New York City comptroller seeks to restore a Starbucks board committee that oversaw labor relations, adding pressure over the coffee chain’s unresolved dispute with its US union. The filing follows identical proposals from the New York state comptroller and Trillium Asset Management, whose investors collectively hold nearly $270 million of Starbucks shares. The investors say labor relations remain one of Starbucks’ most significant and persistent risks under CEO and company chair Brian Niccol. Nearly five years after workers at Starbucks’ first unionized store in Buffalo, New York, the company still has no labor agreement with the union, which represents about 5% of US stores. Starbucks created the Environmental, Partner and Community Impact Committee in 2023 after pressure from some of the same shareholder groups, but dissolved it in November 2025 after Niccol became CEO and board chair in September 2024. Starbucks says the committee’s responsibilities were redistributed to create stronger and more integrated oversight. The proposal comes as the company pursues a turnaround, with shares up 13% this year, while facing scrutiny over alleged labor-law issues, a $38.9 million settlement paid to New York City over alleged staff-scheduling violations, a consumer boycott call, pressure from US lawmakers and UN human-rights experts, and continued union concerns. Starbucks Workers United backed the proposal, and Starbucks typically holds its annual shareholder meeting in March.