NEWS & ANALYSIS

By Beverly Banks

Workers United should not be allowed to intervene in National Labor Relations Board prosecutors' nationwide injunction bid, Starbucks told a New York federal judge, saying the union doesn't have a legal interest in the proceeding.

By Beverly Banks

New York City alleged in a new lawsuit that Starbucks violated the city's Fair Workweek Law by firing an employee without just cause soon after the worker's store voted to unionize, seeking the barista's reinstatement and back pay.

By Beverly Banks

Workers United urged a New York federal judge on Thursday to allow the union to intervene in National Labor Relations Board attorneys' nationwide injunction bid against Starbucks, arguing that the labor organization has a unique and "substantial legal interest" in the case.

By Beverly Banks

Starbucks interim CEO Howard Schultz made illegal comments that promised increased benefits for nonunion stores and threatened workers nationwide who had voted to unionize, National Labor Relations Board prosecutors alleged in a complaint, requesting the coffee chain's top official read a notice to workers about their organizing rights.

By Braden Campbell

A Tennessee federal judge said at a hearing Tuesday she'll rule this week on Starbucks' bid to pause an order to reinstate seven fired union backers at a Memphis store, rejecting the company's request to wait to get the ball rolling until after she rules. 

By Beverly Banks

Starbucks requested that a Tennessee federal judge press pause on her order mandating that the coffee chain reinstate seven fired workers in Memphis while the company waits for a ruling on its appeal, arguing that the company is being forced to rehire "antagonistic" employees.

By Beverly Banks

National Labor Relations Board prosecutors accused Starbucks' attorneys of illegally interrogating unionized workers during the agency's representation election hearings and claiming the company unlawfully enforced dress code rules against baristas who backed the union.

By Beverly Banks

A Tennessee federal judge ordered Starbucks on Thursday to reinstate seven fired workers at a Memphis cafe and stop discarding pro-union flyers in the store, granting National Labor Relations Board prosecutors' temporary injunction bid to ameliorate the coffee chain's alleged unfair labor practices.

By Beverly Banks

The National Labor Relations Board's Seattle office lodged a complaint Wednesday against Starbucks claiming the company violated federal labor law by terminating two workers who led organizing efforts at a cafe.

By Tim Ryan

The letter Starbucks sent to the National Labor Relations Board earlier this week claiming widespread misconduct in union representation elections could bring additional public scrutiny to the agency, experts said, raising the possibility of investigations and litigation over its handling of the voting process.

By Tim Ryan

A National Labor Relations Board official on Tuesday ordered a rerun of a representation election that took place at a Seattle Starbucks earlier this year, saying a board agent did not properly record a ballot cast by an assistant store manager.

By Emily Brill

The National Labor Relations Board may be open to revisiting its standard for determining whether union elections take place by mail or in person in the age of COVID-19, a recent board order indicated.

By Beverly Banks

Workers United is entering a new stage of its nationwide unionizing campaign at Starbucks, as the pace of election petition filings has slowed in recent months after reaching its peak in the spring. But the union is planning for more than 200 wins and inching toward that pivotal first contract.

By Beverly Banks

Workers United announced Monday that the union filed an unfair labor practice charge over the weekend alleging Starbucks unlawfully suspended 11 employees at a South Carolina shop after the baristas served their manager with demands to improve working conditions.

By Beverly Banks

National Labor Relations Board attorneys may present evidence in an administrative hearing related to the general counsel's bid for a nationwide injunction against Starbucks in New York federal court, the board ruled, saying the company didn't show how an agency judge's decision on the evidence was improper.

By Parker Purifoy

Workers at five Starbucks cafes in Massachusetts represented by Workers United walked off the job Monday as part of a union-backed day of action to protest the company's rollout of new benefits that exclude union workers.

By Beverly Banks

The National Labor Relations Board's Phoenix office dismissed Starbucks' unfair labor practice charge alleging Workers United unlawfully threatened employees and customers while picketing at a shop, saying little evidence supported the coffee chain's accusations.

By Tim Ryan

The National Labor Relations Board's St. Louis regional office again dismissed a union's charge accusing management-side firm Littler Mendelson PC of interfering with a Starbucks worker's rights with a question asked during an agency hearing, saying the firm didn't have control over the worker's job conditions.

By Emily Brill

National Labor Relations Board prosecutors have urged an Arizona federal judge to reject Starbucks' bid to compel the board to cover roughly $7,500 in legal fees the company spent after prosecutors filed an injunction request in a retaliation case, saying the request was filed in good faith.

By Beverly Banks

Starbucks challenged National Labor Relations Board prosecutors' bid for sanctions in an unfair labor practice case alleging close to 300 violations of federal labor law, saying the company has pledged to provide documents and comply with subpoenas gradually.