Brewing More Labor Strife At Starbucks

by | May 18, 2023 | Bargaining/Negotiations, NLRB, Unions

Some additional items of interest from Starbucks this week. They remain on the hot seat with the NLRB and possibly with the ILO:

Starbucks is appealing two more NLRB determinations: (1) A ruling that the company violated the NLRA by illegally firing seven union leaders in Memphis after they allowed the press inside the store outside of business hours; (2) A ruling that prohibits Starbucks from disciplining or firing employees at an Ann Arbor, MI cafe.

Following union inquiries, a UN workers’ rights watchdog is reviewing whether to investigate Starbucks’ closure of unionized stores and termination of union activists. The probe would be made possible by Starbucks “explicit” agreement within its 2020 Global Human Rights Statement to follow International Labour Organization principles.

The NLRB has also alleged that Starbucks has “failed and refused” to bargain fairly with 150 unionized cafes. This follows former CEO Howard Shultz’s insistence that “[w]e will continue to negotiate in good faith.” An NLRB judge further ruled that a Chicago Starbucks illegally fired an organizer and threatened his fellow baristas.

In closing, here’s an update on the “educational campaign” by the Center for Union Facts nonprofit, which previously called out Workers United’s hypocritical ties with Amalgamated Bank. This campaign has mocked the outwardly progressive union’s unsavory relationship (via their affiliation with SEIU, which owns 40% of the bank) with a financial backer of private prisons and tobacco companies.

The Center for Union Facts has now launched a cross-country billboard campaign that brands Workers United as a “progressive poser” along with this doozy:

“Got Hypocrisy? Got Nepotism? Got broken promises? You’ve got it all with Workers United.”

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