Howard Schultz’s first day again on the helm of Starbucks kicked off with an announcement that the espresso chain is suspending inventory buybacks to speculate again into operations.

Shares of the corporate fell practically 3% in premarket buying and selling on the information.

The choice comes as Starbucks faces a union push from its baristas. Up to now, 9 of its places have voted to unionize, together with a restaurant in its hometown of Seattle and its Reserve Roastery flagship in New York City. Greater than 180 company-owned places have filed petitions for a union election, though that’s nonetheless a small fraction of Starbucks’ general U.S. footprint of practically 9,000 shops.

In a letter to staff, Schultz mentioned his first activity is to spend time with staff. One other job he deemed important was suspending the corporate’s share repurchase program.

“This resolution will enable us to speculate extra revenue into our individuals and our shops — the one strategy to create long-term worth for all stakeholders,” he wrote.

In October, below former CEO Kevin Johnson, Starbucks dedicated to spending $20 billion on buybacks and dividends over the following three years. It ended its fiscal 2021 with out repurchasing any shares in the course of the 12 months as gross sales remained below strain from the pandemic.

Schultz is just anticipated to behave as interim CEO till the autumn so the corporate’s board can proceed its hunt for Starbucks’ subsequent long-term chief government.

Schultz’s resolution comes as President Joe Biden and a few Democratic leaders push for a more durable line towards buybacks. The White Home’s lately launched funds plan requires banning executives from promoting their shares for a number of years after a company buyback.