Starbucks reports record Q2 sales, enhances worker benefits

The Seattle coffee company said revenue rose 15% to a record $7.6 billion in its 13-week quarter, which ended April 3. But net earnings rose just 2% to $674 million. Starbucks’ adjusted earnings of 59 cents per share fell short of analysts’ forecast of 60 cents. Last fall, the company announced a $1 billion investment in employee wages and benefits in an effort to lift U.S. workers’ pay to at least $15 per hour by this summer. But there’s a catch: Workers who have voted to unionize or stores that have petitioned to hold a union election won’t be eligible for those benefits. Starbucks shares were up 5% in after-hours trading Tuesday. . . .