A labor agreement, covering more than 500 U.S. stores, would be the company’s first. Talks stalled last year over wages.

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) and the Workers United union have agreed to bring in an outside mediator to advance contract negotiations. The coffee chain operator and Workers United noted in a joint statement that they have made progress over the last nine months of bargaining,

They’ve been negotiating a template for collective bargaining agreements covering more than 500 cafes in the U.S.

Starbucks and its union representing more than 10,000 baristas have agreed to bring in an outside mediator to help resume halted bargaining talks, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.