A US labour agency is trying to make Starbucks reopen 23 stores that were supposedly closed last year to discourage a nationwide union effort. This is the latest case accusing the coffee chain of using illegal tactics against labour.
On 13 December 2023, a complaint was filed by a regional director at the National Labour Relations Board (NLRB), stating that eight US stores had already formed unions before they shut down.
This recent complaint alleges that Starbucks closed 23 stores without giving prior notice to Workers United, the union leading the campaign. The NLRB seeks an order for Starbucks to reopen the stores, rehire employees, engage in bargaining with unions at unionised stores, and compensate affected employees for lost pay and benefits.
This complaint coincided with the release of a labour practices report by Starbucks, prepared by an independent consultant at the request of shareholders. The report acknowledges room for improvement in Starbucks’ messaging on the union campaign but asserts that the company did not adopt an “anti-union playbook” involving violations of US labour laws.
Since 2021, employees at more than 360 of Starbucks’ 9,300 US stores have chosen to join unions. There are over 100 complaints filed with the NLRB accusing Starbucks of engaging in illegal activities against unions.
Starbucks, however, denies any wrongdoing, emphasising its respect for workers’ rights to decide on unionising.
The case will go before an administrative judge, and the judge’s decision can be appealed first to the five-member NLRB and then to a federal appeals court. In a previous case, an NLRB judge in July ruled that Starbucks had unlawfully closed a unionised store in Ithaca, New York, a decision that Starbucks is currently appealing.
